Berkery Noyes Blog INTERNET MEDIA AND B2B DEAL VOLUME SURGING IN THE MEDIA AND MARKETING INDUSTRY

According to Berkery Noyes' Media and Marketing report for first half 2017, deal volume increased three percent on a half year basis. Total value fell 73 percent, from $176.03 billion to $47.22 billion. Of note, two of the industry's top three largest transactions in 2016 occurred during the second half of the year and accounted for almost half of overall 2016 value. Aggregate value in first half 2017 declined 50 percent on a year-over-year basis but rose 19 percent relative to first half 2015. Transaction activity in the Internet Media segment improved 13 percent in first half 2017. High profile Internet Media related transactions thus far in 2017 was HomeAdvisor's announced merger with Angie's List, which provides reviews of local services that are based on first-hand experiences consumers have with doctors, contractors and other local professionals, for $574 million; and InfoPro Digital's announced acquisition of Incisive Media's Insight division, which includes the Risk.net and Insurance Post brands, for $151 million.Volume in the Marketing segment, which for the purposes of this report excludes pure software based companies, decreased 11 percent in first half 2017. Also of note, there was only one segment deal in the overall industry's list of top ten highest value acquisitions during the half year period. Along these lines was Vivendi's acquisition of Havas, an advertising and communication services company, for $2.43 billion.Meanwhile, the number of acquisitions in the B2B Publishing and Information segment increased 21 percent in first half 2017. Notable B2B related deals year-to-date included Moody's Analytics' announced acquisition of Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing, a provider of business intelligence and company information, for $3.27 billon; and Solera Holdings' acquisition of Autodata Limited, a provider of technical information to the automotive aftermarket, for $422 million."Publishers have achieved success in this rapidly changing market through leveraging their content and brand equity across various media platforms for deeper penetration," said Mary Jo Zandy, Managing Director at Berkery Noyes. "Many B2B media companies are also growing revenue by providing a host of marketing services to their existing client base."