JEGI Advises M:Metrics
on Sale to comScore
Firm continues its leadership position in middle-market M&A
for digital media
and marketing services, following completion of high-profile mobile
marketing transaction
The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
(JEGI) is pleased to announce the sale of client M:Metrics
(www.mmetrics.com),
the leader in mobile measurement, to comScore
(www.comscore.com).
This acquisition makes comScore the leader in measuring the emerging
and strategically important mobile Internet market and enriches
comScore’s leading position in measuring PC-based Internet
usage. With the completion of this high-profile mobile marketing
transaction, JEGI continues its leadership position in middle-market
M&A for digital media and marketing services.
M:Metrics offers three primary measurement products: MobiLens, a
syndicated monthly online survey that captures overall mobile phone
usage; MeterDirect, the industry’s first on-device meter that
passively measures the mobile Internet behavior and media consumption
of more than 4,000 existing Smartphone panelists; and M:Ad, the
first competitive tracking service for mobile advertising that continuously
monitors clickable display advertising.
Going forward, comScore will increase the size of the metered panel
and will offer measurement of combined Internet usage across both
PC and mobile-based online access platforms. The combination of
the two companies is expected to result in substantial operating
synergies, cost savings and enhanced revenue growth by building
a larger customer base, combining two highly productive sales forces,
and leveraging comScore’s global panel and scalable technology
infrastructure.
M&A for the media and information industries continues to flourish
driven by high-quality companies and blue-chip transactions, despite
the continuing economic uncertainty. With the media industry going
through an extraordinary period of change, strong strategic companies
are focused on gaining market share and investing in new, high-growth
media sectors.
The Next Big Medium in the Integrated
Ad Market
Many industry experts consider mobile the next frontier of opportunity
and growth, as wireless carriers, telecom equipment providers, media
companies, advertising agencies, online publishers, and marketers
extend their reach into the mobile Internet world. The mobile advertising
market is “hot”, and mobile traffic continues to increase
rapidly, spurred by innovations that allow users to browse the web
easily and efficiently. As comScore’s president and CEO Dr.
Magid Abraham said after the M:Metrics acquisition, “With
the substantial growth of 3G devices and Internet friendly handsets,
we believe we are now at an inflection point in Internet usage on
mobile devices.” JupiterResearch, for example, projects that
total spending on mobile marketing and advertising will increase
from $700 million in 2007 to more than $2 billion by 2012.
Strong Need to Measure Results
However, advertisers require strong data to spend significant dollars
in the mobile market. As such, measurement tools represent significant
areas of growth and strong investment opportunities, as indicated
by comScore’s acquisition of M:Metrics, and Nielsen’s
recent acquisition of Telephia, another mobile data company. Other
active acquirers of mobile businesses include Microsoft, Google,
Yahoo!, Nokia, and AOL.
As many hundreds of companies continue to build the mobile media
and marketing sector, large interactive media and technology companies
will continue to remain acquisitive and invest in new products and
services. These trends, along with JEGI’s pipeline of deal
activity, suggest that buyers remain ready and willing to complete
acquisitions of quality mid-sized media and information companies.
For more information on the M:Metrics transaction, click
here.
JEGI – The Leader in Media and Information M&A
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