Welcome to Press Gazette’s deals homepage, where we plan to track all the latest and most significant news about media mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other deals in the news and media sector.
Please email us at pged@pressgazette.co.uk with deal tips or announcements to appear in our coverage.
This page is presented in association with GlobalData which tracks all major M&A activity as part of its suite of business intelligence products.
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| 3 August 2021
iCrossing buys Mediablaze By Charlotte Tobitt Hearst Magazines-owned global marketing agency iCrossing has acquired Mediablaze, a London-based digital experience and content marketing agency. It had already taken a minority stake in the business in 2016. Mediablaze will join iCrossing’s UK office and together they will offer clients full-service marketing solutions. Hearst Magazines president Debi Chirichella said: “With the digital acceleration brands have seen over the past year, there is a growing demand for complete marketing solutions that can offer engaging and impactful digital experiences and this investment positions us to deliver industry-leading solutions for our clients.” Mediablaze chief executive Paul Button added: “The joining of our businesses will combine Mediablaze’s digital experience capability with iCrossing UK’s powerful media and customer insights, creating a best-in-class agency solution that will help clients transform and accelerate their digital business.” Source: Press release Deal size: Undisclosed Country: UK Status: Official |
| 2 August 2021
Responsible Investor publisher bought by PEI By Charlotte Tobitt Responsible Investor publisher Response Global Media, which also organises ESG events and runs the Responsible Company membership programme, has been bought by information and events provider PEI. All staff at the independent publishing company, launched in 2007 by co-founders and joint managing directors Hugh Wheelan and Tony Hay, are being kept on following the deal. PEI chief executive Tim McLoughlin said: “In RGM we see huge potential to build on the growth of strongly established, high-quality subscription brands and to increase our presence in a key growth area of the market.” Source: Responsible Investor Deal size: Undisclosed Country: UK Status: Official |
| 29 July 2021
Substack buys public debate platform By William Turvill Newsletter platform Substack has acquired Letter, a startup website for public debate, Digiday reports. Source: Digiday Deal size: Undisclosed Country: US Status: Official |
| 28 July 2021
Swiss partner buys out Axel Springer in Central/ Eastern Europe By William Turvill Swiss publisher Ringier is buying out the assets of its partner, Axel Springer, in Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Ringier and Axel Springer have operated a joint venture in Central and Eastern Europe – Ringier Axel Springer Media – since July 2010. This deal breaks up much of that joint venture, although the companies will retain their partnership in Poland. Axel Springer’s news division will now focus on its three key markets – Germany (where it owns titles including Bild and Welt), the US (where it owns Insider) and Poland. Source: Press release Deal size: Undisclosed Country: Germany/Switzerland Status: Announced |
| 26 July 2021
Recurrent buys Futurism By William Turvill Fresh from acquiring MEL Magazine (see below), Recurrent Ventures has today announced a deal to buy Futurism from Singularity University. Founded in 2014, Futurism has grown from Reddit page into a well-known media brand that covers AI, rocket launches, sustainability and genetics. Futurism was previously acquired by Singularity University, a tech company backed by Google and Deloitte, in 2019. Recurrent is a venture capital-backed digital media company that owns brands including Popular Science, Domino, Outdoor Life, The Drive and Field & Stream. Source: Press release Deal size: Undisclosed Country: US Status: Announced |
| 23 July 2021
Taboola buys Connexity for $800m By William Turvill Taboola, a marketing company that promotes content and advertising on news websites, has announced the acquisition of Connexity, an e-commerce platform. The deal, which comes after Taboola went public through a SPAC deal in June, is worth $800m. Source: Press release Deal size: $800m Country: US Status: Announced |
| 22 July 2021
Former CBS boss launches SPAC By William Turvill Joe Ianniello, a former chief executive of CBS, has launched a new special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). He told the Wall Street Journal that he hopes to raise at least $300m for his venture, Argus, and pursue a merger. Given his background, it would seem likely that Ianniello will target the media sector – a lively SPAC market currently (scroll down for updates on deals involving Buzzfeed, Vice and BDG) – but the Journal said he could look to the telecoms and technology sectors for deals. Source: The Wall Street Journal Deal size: $300m Country: US Status: Announced |
| 22 July 2021
Royal Media makes two acquisitions in two weeks By William Turvill Royal Media, a B2B and business information company, has announced two takeovers in quick succession. The company – which has brands in the air freight, financial services, and vehicle finance sectors – bought market intelligence firm Connectivity Business on 20 July. On 14 July, it bought the Foster Report, which covers the oil, electricity, and natural gas markets, from Concentric Energy Publications. In both cases, the sellers were represented by Grimes, McGovern & Associates. Source: Grimes, McGovern & Associates Deal sizes: Undisclosed Country: US Status: Announced |
| 21 July 2021
BDG Media makes $150m acquisition ahead of SPAC deal By William Turvill Digital media company BDG Media, which publishes titles including Bustle and Input, is buying Some Spider Studios for around $150m, the Wall Street Journal reports. BDG is one of a number of digital media firms expected to go public this year by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company (scroll down for details on similar deals involving Buzzfeed and Vice). Some Spider Studios operates parenting websites Scary Mommy, Fatherly and the Dad. Source: The Wall Street Journal Deal size: $150m Country: US Status: Announced |
| 21 July 2021
Video ad tech company Audigent secures $19m venture financing By Dominic Ponsford Predictive Pop Inc (doing business as Audigent), a provider of an audience intelligence platform that improves video ad targeting across mobile, social, and over-the-top (OTT) digital television (TV) channels, has secured $19.1m in Series B funding from the Go Philly Fund. In addition, Broadscale Group, Raised in Space, MathCapital, Riverpark Ventures and others also participated in the funding round. Audigent brings the total funding to $33.6 million. Source: GlobalData Deal size: $19.1m Country: US Status: Announced |
| 20 July 2021
Cannabis marketing company MediaJel in merger By Dominic Ponsford MediaJel Inc, a provider of advertising and marketing solutions for the cannabis industry, has merged with Foottraffik, a provider of advertising and marketing solutions. Source: GlobalData Deal size: Unknown Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 20 July 2021
Adtech company Adelaide secure $2m venture funding By Dominic Ponsford Adelaide, an online advertisement technology firm, has secured $2m in venture funding from a crew of angel investors. Adelaide says its mission is to “quantify the true quality of media through the lens of attention, so marketers can invest more confidently and create incentives in the market for high-quality media”. Source: GlobalData Deal size: $2m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 20 July 2021
Vice Media’s SPAC talks stall amid valuation questions By William Turvill Vice Media’s plans to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) have stalled, according to The Information. The report states that Vice is struggling to raise enough financing for the deal amid questions about its valuation. The Information reports that Vice was expected to be valued at around $2.5bn (a large reduction on the $5.7bn valuation it earned in 2017) but that this now appears ambitious. Source: The Information Deal size: $2.5bn? Country: US Status: Rumour |
| 16 July 2021
WordPress and Tumblr owner buys Pocket Casts By William Turvill Automattic, the owner of WordPress and Tumblr, today announced the acquisition of Pocket Casts. The podcast company was previously owned by a group of public broadcasters in the US, including NPR and BBC Studios America. Current reported that Pocket Casts had been put up for sale in January. Source: Press release Deal size: Undisclosed Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 16 July 2021
Virtual venue company Fly Machine secures $21m venture funding By Dominic Ponsford Flymachine, a US-based new virtual venue for live entertainment which delivers a first-of-its-kind immersive social experience, has secured $21 million in venture funding, led by Greycroft Partners and SignalFire, with additional participation from Primary Venture Partners, Contour Venture Partners, Red Sea Ventures, and Silicon Valley Bank. Angel investors joining the round include Coran Capshaw, Bill Silva, Marty Diamond, Larry Webman, Ben Lovett, John Battelle, and LionTree Partners. Source: GlobalData Deal size: $21m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 16 July 2021
Saudi Research & Media Group buys 51% of podcast platform Thmanyah By Dominic Ponsford SMRG owns more than 30 media outlets iuncluding Arab News. Saudi-based Thmanyah operates throughout the wider region. Source: Flashes and Flames Deal size: Unknown Country: Saudi Arabia Status: Reported |
| 16 July 2021
JD Power buys Superior Integrated Solutions By Dominic Ponsford US-based JD Power is a supplier of data, analytics and software to care dealers. Superior Integrated Solutions provides finance and insurance sales software to 7,700 car dealer. Source: Press release Deal size: Unknown Country: USA Status: Confirmed |
| 14 July 2021
Outside buys three new brands to enhance subscription offering By William Turvill Outside Media, a growing outdoor pursuits publisher, has announced the acquisition of three new brands – Pinkbike, CyclingTips and Trailforks. Outside has made a number of acquisitions in recent years and is aiming to become a digital subscription powerhouse. Press Gazette interviewed Outside CEO Robin Thurston last month – read more here. Source: Press release Deal size: Unknown Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 13 July 2021
Privacy-focused Facebook rival in talks to raise new funds By William Turvill MeWe, a privacy-focused social media startup that wants to challenge Facebook, is in talks to raise new funds, Axios today reports. The subscription-based platform is hoping to raise between $10-30m this year, founder Mark Weinstein tells Axios. It is said to be in talks with strategic investors currently, including venture capital and private equity groups. Source: Axios Deal size: $10-30m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 12 July 2021
Lord Rothermere could take DMGT private By Charlotte Tobitt The owner of the Daily Mail, Metro and i titles could go private as Lord Rothermere considers a bid to de-list his media properties. The deal would be worth £810m. Source: DMGT Deal size: £810m Country: UK Status: Confirmed |
| 9 July 2021
AgriBriefing £150m sale mooted By Dominic Ponsford UK-based publisher of Farmers Guardian AgriBriefing is reported to be in the advanced stages of a sale. Flashes and Flames reports that New York-based Ares Management Corp is looking to sell the business it bought for £100m in 2019. Euromoney has signalled its interest in agriculture and has been mooted as one likely buyer. In February this year AgriBriefing bought Tallage SAS a France-based provider of grain, oilseeds, darum wheat, biofuels and barley intelligence. “AgriBriefing was formed in 2012 with a mission to provide information, news, market data, pricing benchmarks and networks across the global agribusiness supply chain. These markets are often opaque and fragmented but are becoming ever more international and interconnected. There is an ever-increasing need for information and data to help market participants operate more efficiently.” Source: Flashes and Flames Deal size: $150m Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 9 July 2021
Nielsen buys adtech company TVTY By Dominic Ponsford Media audience analytics company Neilsen Holdings has acquired France-based advertising technology company TVTY. TVTY offers customers technology which enables them to optimise their advertising spend on TV campaigns. Nielsen said the deal will help marketers to better plan and optimise their marketing spend. TVTY says its technology helps advertisers optimise their TV ad sepnd based on business outcomes. Source: GlobalData Deal size: Undisclosed Country: US/France Status: Confirmed |
| 7 July 2021
Psychedelic media company gets high response to funding round By Dominic Ponsford Canada-based Microdose Psychedelic Insights has closed a seven-figure over-subscribed round of seed funding. The company provides news, financial analysis and events aimed to “drive the psychedelics industry into the forefront of modern medicine”. It has received funding from Origin Therapeutics, Negev Capital and The Conscious Fund. As part of the transaction, Charlie Finnie, CEO of Origin Therapeutics joins as a board member. Source: GlobalData Deal size: $1m+ Country: Canada Status: Confirmed |
| 7 July 2021
Recurrent Ventures buys MEL Magazine from Dollar Shave Club By William Turvill Recurrent Ventures has announced the acquisition of men’s lifestyle title MEL Magazine from the Dollar Shave Club. The deal will revive MEL, which halted publication earlier this year when its financial relationship with Dollar Shave Club was ended. Recurrent is a venture capital-backed digital media company that owns brands including Popular Science, Domino, Outdoor Life, The Drive and Field & Stream. Source: Press release Deal size: Unknown Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 2 July 2021
Ladbible considers stock market listing By Charlotte Tobitt Youth publisher Ladbible is reportedly considering either a stock market listing or a partial sale. Sky News reported it has appointed Zeus Capital to help it look at its strategic options but a decision may not be made for months yet. Source: Sky News Deal size: £350-400m Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 28 June 2021
Group Rossel and DPG Media buy RTL Belgium By Dominic Ponsford Belgium-based Groupe Rossel and DPG Media has agreed to buy TV and radio business RTL Belgium from Euros 250m ($300m). DPG said: “The new shareholders will additionally focus on accelerating the digital transformation of RTL Belgium’s radio and television channels. Long-form and short-form online video are fast-growing segments that offer numerous opportunities for television companies. The development of digital radio and podcasting present similar opportunities for radio.” JP Morgan acted as adviser to RTL Group on the deal. Source: GlobalData Deal size: Euros 250m ($300m) Country: Belgium Status: Confirmed |
| 30 June 2021
Taboola goes public By Dominic Ponsford Content recommendation platform Taboola goes public today with a listing on the Nasdaq exchange in the US under the ticket TBLA. The company was valued at $2.6bn following its merger with ION, a special acquisition company. Source: Press release Deal size: $2.6bn Country: US Status: Complete |
| 25 June 2021
Pageant Media pays ‘$20m’ for Hedge Fund Alert By Dominic Ponsford US-based Green Street has sold online news website Hedge Fund Alert to UK-based Pageant Media. The US site has been running for 20 years aiming to give an early take on deals and intelligence in the world of hedge funds in the US. Pageant already runs HFM and Eurekahedge. Hedge Fund Alert is the fourth acquisition to be completed since Intermediate Capital Group bought a majority stake in Pageant Media in February 2020. Pageant employs 350 staff and has turnover of around £30m a year. Deal size: $20m (estimate from Flashes and Flames) Country: UK acquirer, US target Status: Confirmed Source: press release. |
| 24 June 2021
US streaming giants named as candidates to buy Channel 4 from UK government By William Turvill The UK government this week confirmed plans to hold a consultation on whether to privatise broadcaster Channel 4. The Times, citing an interview with media minister John Whittingdale, reports that US streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon could be candidates. Foreign ownership of Channel 4 would be controversial in the UK, but Whittingdale did not rule the streaming giants out as potential buyers. Source: The Times Deal size: Unknown Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 23 June 2021
Buzzfeed could announce long-anticipated deal to go public this week By William Turvill Buzzfeed appears to be on the verge of confirming its long-anticipated plans to go public. The Wall Street Journal today reports that CEO Jonah Peretti could announce Buzzfeed’s merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), as soon as this week. Source: The Wall Street Journal Deal size: Unknown Country: US Status: Rumour |
| 22 June 2021
The Hill is seeking a buyer and has been in talks with Nexstar By William Turvill US political news website the Hill is looking for a buyer, according to Axios. Owner Jimmy Finkelstein has reportedly ramped up his efforts to sell the outlet. Axios reports that the Hill has recently been in talks with broadcasting giant Nexstar Media Group. Source: Axios Deal size: Unknown Country: US Status: Rumour |
22 June 2021 Podcast tech company WaitWhat raises $12m By Dominic Ponsford WaitWhat has closed a funding round which has seen it raise $12m to invest in its content production and research efforts to break new ground in digital formats. Podcasts such as “Masters of Scale” and “Meditative Story” have been downloaded more than 70m times. It plans to look into new creative ways to create audio and video content which includes content around fitness and parenting. Source: TechCrunch Deal size: $12m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 18 June 2021
Meltwater buys Owler for $24.5m By Dominic Ponsford High tech press cuttings and media analytics company Meltwater has bought crow-sourcing business information company Owler for $24.5m. Owler claims to be the second largest business community in the world and says it has 5m business people contributing to its 14m company profiles. Meltwater CEO John Box said: “Combining this proprietary information from Owler with the insights that Meltwater is able to extract from online news and social media will differentiate Meltwater’s product in the market and bring great value to our 27,000 customers globally.” Source: Press release Deal size: $24.5m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 18 June 2021
UK government could privatise Channel 4 next year By William Turvill The UK government is lining up Channel 4 for privatisation and could sell it off as soon as next year, reports the Financial Times. Source: Financial Times Deal size: Unknown Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 18 June 2021
Response Global Media ‘sold’ to PEI Media for £12m By Dominic Ponsford Response Global Media publishes Responsible Investor and says of itself: “Our aim is to lead strategic, sustainable change in financial markets through thought-leadership, proprietary journalism, events and community building amongst business professionals.” Responsible Investor describes itself as a newswire dedicated to responsible investment, ESG and sustainable finance with a global subscriber base. PEI Media publishes Private Equity International and was itself acquired by asset management group Bridgepoint for £120m three years ago, Flashes and Flames reports. Source: Flashes and Flames Deal size: £12m Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 17 June 2021
New York Times and Athletic end acquisition talks By William Turvill The New York Times has ended talks to buy subscription sports news website the Athletic, according to the Information. The two parties reportedly could not agree on a fair price. Source: The Information Deal size: N/A Country: US Status: Rumour |
| 15 June 2021
Spotify agrees $60m deal for ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast By William Turvill Spotify has agreed to deal so that it can exclusively host Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast. Variety reports that the three-year deal is worth more than $60m. Source: Press release/ Variety Deal size: $60m Country: US Status: Official |
15 June 2021 Mark Allen Group buys 13 B2B titles from RELX By Dominic Ponsford Mark Allen Group has purchased 13 titles from Elsevier Ltd, part of RELX Group. This deal comprises four magazines – Metal Powder Report, Reinforced Plastics, World Pumps and Filtration & Separation – and nine newsletters: Additives for Polymers, Biometric Technology Today, Computer Fraud and Security, Filtration Industry Analyst, Fuel Cells Bulletin, Membrane Technology, Network Security, Pump Industry Analyst and Sealing Technology. Chairman Mark Allen said: “During the past 15 months since lockdown our company has weathered the pandemic storm exceptionally well. The 2020-21 financial year, which we will be reporting in the autumn, will be a record year. It is now time for us to make sure we move forward again. This Elsevier portfolio, with a combination of institutional and corporate subscriptions, as well as advertising, offers us an excellent opportunity to provide these publications with the additional care and attention that we can provide.” Mark Allen Group publishes more than 100 magazines and also runs awards and events in 12 different sectors. In 2019/20 it reported EBIDTA of £8.4m on turnover of £54.6m In February 2020 Mark Allen Group completed the purchase of Farmers’ Weekly from Elsevier. In 2019 MAG bought 12 B2B transport magazines from UKI Media and Events, as well as the 163-year-old The Engineer magazine and its associated event Subcon from Centaur Media. Deal size: Undisclosed Country: UK Status: Announced |
 10 June 2021 Buzzfeed to raise $200m in bonds ahead of SPAC deal By William Turvill Buzzfeed is rumoured to be planning a public listing by merging with 890 Fifth Avenue Partners, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The Information reports that Buzzfeed is in talks to raise $200 in convertible bonds to add to cash it will raise through the SPAC deal. This $200m will be used to fund a planned acquisition of digital lifestyle publisher Complex Networks, according to the Information. Source: The Information Deal size: $200m Country: US Status: Rumour |
| 10 June 2021
Sinclair raising $250m for sports streaming push By William Turvill Sinclair Broadcast Group is seeking to raise $250m to fund a new sports streaming venture, the New York Post reports. Investment bank LionTree is said to be working on the fundraiser for Sinclair. Source: New York Post Deal size: $250m Country: US Status: Rumour |
 8 June 2021
Sports Illustrated publisher Maven raises $20m and buys the Spun By Dominic Ponsford Sports Illustrated publisher Maven has raised $20m and bought athletics news website the Spun. Source: Press release Deal size: $20m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
| 8 June 2021
Morning Consult raises $60m in new funding By William Turvill Morning Consult, a polling, data and research firm, has raised $60m in series B funding. The deal values the company at more than $1bn, according to Axios. Source: Axios Deal size: $60m Country: US Status: Confirmed |
 6 June 2021
The Week magazine put up for sale by Dennis Publishing By William Turvill News and current affairs magazine The Week has been put up for sale by Dennis Publishing, according to Sky News. Dennis, owned by Exponent Private Equity, has reportedly hired bankers from LionTree Advisors to handle the sale process. Source: Sky News Deal size: Unknown Country: UK Status: Rumour |
| 3 June 2021
Blackstone buys PC World publisher IDG By William Turvill Blackstone, a US private equity giant, has agreed to buy tech media company International Data Group (IDG) for $1.3bn from Oriental Rainbow, a subsidiary of China Oceanwide Holdings Group. IDG is the publisher of brands including PC World and Mac World. Source: Press release Deal size: $1.3bn Country: US Status: Confirmed |
 3 June 2021
Press Gazette publishes first Media Deals Tracker monthly round-up for May 2021 By William Turvill For our first Media Deals Tracker, we compiled details of 30 completed, agreed or rumoured deals through May 2021. |
| 1 June 2021
UK government explores sale of Channel 4 By William Turvill The UK government is considering a sale of Channel 4, the Times reports. Source: The Times Deal value: Unknown Country: UK Status: Rumour |
