Deals

Publishing group to raise its exposure with bigger stake in Penguin Random House

Acquisition vehicle in talks to buy Groupe AB as content war hots up

Reuters has reported that Emerald Expositions, the largest operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States, is exploring a sale that could value the company at close to $2bn, including debt

Preliminary discussions could create the world’s largest communications company

Sky has taken a substantial stake in the reborn Chrysalis television production company that will fund the creation of a slate of new dramas. Chrysalis Vision was set up by the former management team behind Chrysalis Television, one of the original “super indies” in the production sector that developed long-running shows including Midsomer Murders and Doc Martin. The original business was sold in 2003 as the former Chrysalis media empire was dismantled and became All3Media, which was acquired by Liberty Global and Discovery in 2014 for £500m

International Data Group, Inc. (IDG) has found a buyer, one year after the digital media and events company started looking for new ownership.

China Oceanwide and IDG Capital announced yesterday a definitive agreement to acquire the entire IDG package. The Wall Street Journal reports that China Oceanwide will pay under $1 billion — less than a quarter of the $4 billion in revenues estimated by IDG insiders in early 2016

Press Relase: Wilmington plc (“Wilmington” or the “Group”), the knowledge leader in Risk & Compliance, Finance, Legal, and Insight, announces it has reached agreement to acquire the Health Service Journal (“HSJ” and the “Acquisition”), the UK’s leading health information, insight and networking business, from Ascential plc for £19m with an adjustment for working capital, payable on completion. The consideration is to be funded from the Group’s existing debt facilities. The Acquisition is expected to complete on 31 January 2017

GROW London, the contemporary garden fair, has been acquired by Clarion Events from The Affordable Art Fair.

The show will move from Hampstead heath, where it has been held since 2014, to Olympia London under the umbrella of Clarion’s new House & Garden Festival

Marcoms group Dentsu Aegis has acquired Geneva, Switzerland-based digital agency blue-infinity, which offers a range of integrated marketing, CRM, commerce, retail, tracking, and analytics services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Press Release: Exponent Private Equity (“Exponent”) today announces that it has agreed to sell Immediate Media Co (“Immediate”) to Hubert Burda Media for an undisclosed sum. Immediate is the UK’s leading and fastest-growing special interest content and platform company. It is home to some of the UK’s best-loved brands – including the Radio Times, the most valuable and profitable magazine brand in the UK. Immediate engages over 19 million passionate consumers each month, offering them world-class content and innovative new products and services, including e-commerce and TV shopping.

David Montgomery, a former CEO of Trinity Mirror and editor of the News of the World has emerged as the potential buyer of the Express and Star newspapers, in a complicated deal with their current owner Richard Desmond that could also see Trinity Mirror take a minority stake

Daily Express owner Northern & Shell is in discussions with rival newspaper group Trinity Mirror about the potential sale of a minority stake in its newspapers and a deal to share back-office operations.

Press Release: Future plc (LSE: FUTR, “the Group” or “Future”), the international media group and leading digital business, has acquired the magazines, domain names, events, radio licence and websites of Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, Blues and the Golden Gods for £800,000 from FRP Advisory, the administrators of Team Rock Limited

Press Release:  The Financial Times announces the acquisition of GIS Planning, a San Francisco-based internet technology company providing organisations with data and intelligence on foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic development in North America.

The acquisition of GIS Planning strengthens the FT Group’s portfolio of specialist products and services. GIS Planning’s ZoomProspector Enterprise and ZoomProspector.com join a stable of successful FDI subscription services which includes fDi Magazine, fDi Markets and fDi Benchmark

Magazine publisher Square Up Media is set to acquire media company Factory Media, publishers of Dirt and Cycling Magazine UK, for an undisclosed sum

UK media group Ascential has carved off 13 magazine titles into a separate entity with a view to selling them. The so-called ‘Heritage Brands’ include Nursing Times, MEED and Drapers

ITV paid a reported £50m to lure the The Voice away from The BBC in 2015 but it was the purchase earlier in the year of Talpa Media, the Dutch production company that created The Voice, that represents the longer-term investment for the future. But as Mr Crozier enters his seventh year in charge at ITV, questions are beginning to emerge about the long-term direction of the company and Mr Crozier’s own future

Magazine group Meredith Corporation has renewed its interest in Time Inc, the publisher of People and Sports Illustrated, according to people familiar with the matter

Pageant Media yesterday announced the acquisition of information services brands (II Seaches, Foundation & Endowment Intelligence and Money Management Intelligence) which provide critical insight for asset managers who need to understand current investor activity.

Tarsus Group plc (“Tarsus” or the “Company”), the international business-to-business media group, is pleased to announce that it has conditionally agreed to acquire from the Guangdong Home Textile Association and Association Member shareholders 65% of Foshan Huaxia Home Textile Development Co., Ltd. (“Foshan Huaxia”) (the “Acquisition”). Foshan Huaxia owns the Home Furnishing Expo (Hometex), the leading bi-annual home textiles exhibition in China