WPP announces that it has agreed to acquire the assets of Maka Marketing Digital S.A. de C.V. and Clarus Digital S.A. de C.V. (“Clarus”), a leading digital marketing agency in Mexico
Brand and media specialist Millward Brown has acquired full-service agency Habitus Investigación, in Ecuador. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The firm employs 80 people, and for the year 2014 expects revenues of US$5m
US-based information and analytics firm IHS has acquired Infonetics Research, which specializes in research for the global communications technology market
Lastminute.com, the UK travel website that was an icon of the dotcom boom and bust, has been sold by its owners for $120m (£76m) — a small fraction of the £600m price they paid for it back in 2005. For the full story read FT.Com
Vice Media will go on a “deal spree” in 2015 and explore an initial public offering if market conditions remain favourable, according to Shane Smith, chief executive of the youth-focused digital media group
Based in Boston, R24 develops branded content for companies engaged in the fast-growing, real-time marketing space
Hearst has taken a 25 per cent stake in AwesomenessTV, the teen-focused digital video network owned by DreamWorks Animation, in a deal that values Awesomeness at $325m
The agency’s 28 staff relocate to Porta’s head office in Basinghall Street following the completion of the acquisition, and will work alongside Porta’s existing consumer PR company, Thirteen Communications
Politico and German publisher Axel Springer are acquiring the website and weekly newspaper European Voice and rebranding it as the European edition of the political website
A who’s who of technology and media heavyweights, including Ashton Kutcher, Bill Gates, Twitter co-founder Ev William and entrepreneur Richard Branson, have joined a $25m (£16m) funding round in the social activism platform Change.org.
CRM shop MRM//McCann, part of McCann Worldgroup, has acquired Optaros, a digital eCommerce services/solutions provider
Axel Springer, Europe’s biggest newspaper publisher by circulation, is taking full control of its digital classifieds joint venture for €446m in cash and an equity stake
Founded in 2000, Heyday is one of New Zealand’s most comprehensive and respected digital agencies
Alda Holding B.V. is an Amsterdam-based company that is a leader in developing, producing and promoting dance music events and experiences around the world. ALDA Events will continue to operate as an independent company under its current CEO Allan Hardenberg and will become responsible for the touring division of SFX
Promedica will form part of Cello Health, and will work closely with Cello Health Insight in London, New York and Chicago to continue the development of the offer to the large number of global clients of Cello Health
Upper Street Events Ltd has today announced a management buyout with private equity company, Living Bridge
Terms weren’t disclosed, though the NY Post reports Rockbridge paid $60 million for a majority stake
Dentsu Aegis Network has reached an agreement in principal to acquire Tempero, the UK-based social media management agency
Sky, which will retain an equity stake of 20% and a seat on the board of the business, said the sale will allow the business to focus on its newly-expanded pan-European pay-TV operation
In a RNS today WPP announces that its wholly-owned company, POSSIBLE, the global creative digital agency that is part of WPP Digital, has acquired The Swift Collective, Inc. (“Swift”) in the United States
