Summary An article yesterday on the SeekingAlpha blog examines a recent wave of investment consolidation in the online media space. This signals, among other things, an impending acceleration of advertising shifts from offline to off, and a revenue diversification play…
Scads of stories are popping up that say Google is a likely bidder for Yell Group, the U.K.-based publisher that also operates U.S. independent Yellow Book. Here is a story in today's Independent newspaper, which cites sources saying Google is…
We came across this on BusinessWeek Friday. The article raises the possibility that R.H. Donnelley, enjoying a nice run up of its share price, may be the target of a takeover or leveraged buyout. These stories pop up every now…
A new Interactive Local Media Advisory looks at Google’s moves over the past week to continue its march toward becoming a one-stop shop advertising powerhouse across all media. They include of course the massive DoubleClick acquisition and the deal with…
How is one to consider Sam Zell's "purchase" of the Tribune Co.? We can be fairly certain that Zell, a "grave dancer" investor who is putting in $315 million and relying on an ESOP for the rest, didn't win the…
The latest news on the sale of Yellow Pages Group (New Zealand) is that a partnership of the private equity KKR and Australia's Seven Network has made a final offer of about NZ$2.2 billion, which is about 9 times the…
Microsoft announced today that it has agreed to acquire Tellme, a Mountain View, California-based voice search provider. Yesterday, Microsoft and Tellme briefed The Kelsey Group about the pending acquisition. Neither side would disclose the size of the deal, but we…
Rumors are swirling about a potential Microsoft acquisition of Tellme Networks. The latest is a Wall Street Journal article (sub. req'd) that reports a possible sale price of US$800 million (here is coverage from TechCrunch if you don't have a…
My sources got it right and IAC's Citysearch is the company that ended up with Insider Pages. Dinesh Moorjani, Citysearch's new VP of strategy and corporate development, says that Citysearch will incorporate Insider's 600,000 reviews from 30 markets into its…
TechCrunch published a report today that Insider Pages, the review site that has been actively shopped for some time, may have found a buyer for more than the $8.5 million it raised last March from Sequoia and Softbank Capital. I…
Canada's Yellow Pages Group announced today that it has acquired Aliant ActiMedia, a small directory publisher in the Maritime provinces. YPG held a minority position in the publisher, though the telecom Bell Aliant owned 87 percent of the publishing operation.…
Here is a new article from Stuff in New Zealand reporting that 10 bidders are expected to make a run at Yellow Pages Group New Zealand, among them Sensis (via parent company Telstra) and a rash of media and private…
Just saw this Associated Press article that indicates a compromise may be in the offing to get the AT&T-BellSouth merger approved. The deal had been held up by the objections of Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission. The agreement may…
With little time to spare in the current year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved the merger of AT&T and BellSouth. This clears the way for the creation of a US$5.8 billion directory publishing entity, which will cover much…
For the second time in two days, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe has purchased a Yellow Pages business. Yesterday, Local Insight Media, a portfolio company of WCAS, bought "100 percent of the membership interests" of CBD Media Holdings from Spectrum…
Local Insight Media, a company formed by the private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, has acquired 100 percent of CBD Media Holdings, owner of Cincinnati Bell Yellow Pages. Here is the press release. Local Insight has been scooping…
