Tag: Acquisition

Taipei, Taiwan – Appier has announced an acquisition agreement with Paris-based AdCreative.ai for a total of US$38.7m, including a US$27.3m base. Announced on February 12, this will mark Appier’s fifth major acquisition since its first in 2018. The move is set to accelerate Appier’s generative AI product portfolio, expand its business footprint, and reshape the future of digital advertising and marketing.

With this move, Appier strengthens its ability to deliver cutting-edge generative AI-powered solutions, providing businesses with enhanced performance and cost efficiencies across the entire advertising lifecycle—from creative generation to performance optimisation. 

Moreover, the acquisition will reinforce Appier’s first-mover advantage in the market and empowers its clients to unlock new growth opportunities in AI-driven advertising and marketing, particularly in dynamic sectors like e-commerce, gaming, and consumer goods.

Chih-Han Yu, CEO and co-founder at Appier, said, “As we scale aggressively on a global level, this acquisition strengthens our product portfolio, accelerates our generative AI advancements, and reinforces our data moat. It also expands our market reach and enhances overall gross margins.”

He added, “With Appier’s leadership in APAC and rapid market penetration in the US, combined with AdCreative.ai’s strategic market position in Europe, we believe this move will further complete our AI map, driving the growth of Appier’s ROI-driven AI marketing solutions across global markets.”

Meanwhile, Alexandre Leciel, CEO at AdCreative.ai, commented, “Joining forces with Appier, a company with over a decade of expertise in AI and advertising, is a thrilling milestone for AdCreative.ai. Their proven track record and innovation in AI-driven marketing align perfectly with our mission to redefine ad creative efficiency and performance.”

Prior to AdCreative.ai (2025), Appier’s strategic acquisitions — QGraph (2018, India), Emotion Intelligence (2019, Japan), BotBonnie (2021, Taiwan), and Woopra (2022, USA) — have played a key role in strengthening its full-funnel solutions and expanding its capabilities in AI-driven advertising and marketing technology for growth.

The transaction is expected to close on March 4, with no material impact on Appier’s consolidated financial results for FY24.

Philippines – Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC)’s digital healthcare arm mWell is set to acquire Ayala Group’s telehealth provider KonsultaMD. According to Manila Bulletin, the acquisition is for 100% of KonsultaMD, with its cost remaining undisclosed.

According to mWell, the acquisition reinforces its position as the largest digital healthcare platform in the Philippines.

While KonsultaMD is set to operate under mWell, the telehealth provider will keep its brand, allowing its users to access key healthcare services. With a unified platform, MPIC expands its existing network, tapping into KonsultaMD’s significant user base and expertise.

Meanwhile, Ayala Group plans to continue supporting mWell and KonsultaMD after the acquisition.

KonsultaMD is a telehealth app under 917Ventures, a subsidiary of Globe. mWell is also a health app with millions of users.

Singapore – Outbrain Inc. has officially completed its acquisition of Teads, merging their branding and performance solutions to form an omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet.

With the acquisition complete, the new omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet will deliver results across all screens—CTV, mobile, and web—from branding to performance, operating under the name Teads.

The new Teads will offer one of the largest optimised supply paths on the open internet, focusing on connecting exclusive media environments with data-driven creative. The combined company will use Outbrain’s predictive technology and AI to help marketers achieve measurable results throughout the marketing funnel.

The merger creates one of the largest open internet companies, with a combined advertising spend of $1.7b (FY24) and a reach of 2.2b consumers. Headquartered in New York, the new Teads becomes one of the largest advertising platforms globally, partnering with over 10,000 publishers and 20,000 advertisers, and employing nearly 1,800 people across 36 countries.

Outbrain CEO David Kostman will lead the combined company, while former Teads CEOs Jeremy Arditi and Bertrand Quesada will take on the roles of co-president, chief business officer of the Americas, and chief business officer of International, respectively.

Speaking on the acquisition, CEO Kostman said, “I am extremely excited about this new chapter in our journey. This transformative merger creates a company that directly addresses a large gap in the advertising industry: a scaled end-to-end platform that can drive outcomes, from branding to consideration to purchase, across screens.” 

“Together, we are creating an extraordinary new company, combining the best of both organisations’ deep expertise in omnichannel video branding solutions and performance advertising. The new Teads’ mission is to drive lasting value with an offering that invites marketers to expect better outcomes, media owners to expect sustainable value, and consumers to expect elevated experiences. I want to thank the teams of both Outbrain and Teads, who have pioneered major advertising categories and have built leading global companies over more than a decade. It is their innovation and commitment that have brought us to this moment and will propel us to new heights,” added Kostman.

Co-president & chief business officer Arditi also said, “We’re committed to creating a solution that will harness the untapped opportunity of the open internet and allow all of its constituents to thrive. We believe that by prioritising beautiful creative experiences, trust and transparency in media, and delivery of meaningful outcomes, we can create a stronger ecosystem that provides value for all.”

Outbrain, Altice, and Teads have revised their August 1, 2024, share purchase agreement. Outbrain will pay approximately $900m, consisting of $625m in cash and 43.75m shares of Outbrain common stock. The revised deal eliminates deferred cash payments and convertible preferred equity, reducing the need for debt financing and simplifying the structure.

Additionally, Outbrain will finance the transaction with existing cash and $625m in committed debt financing from Goldman Sachs, Jefferies Finance, and Mizuho Bank, subject to standard conditions. Altice will receive 43.75m shares and nominate two directors to Outbrain’s board, subject to a stockholder agreement with voting and share disposition restrictions.

“The merger between Teads and Outbrain makes a lot of sense strategically. We look forward to exploring the new possibilities this provides us with to reach our audiences in a new and interesting way, to deliver full funnel solutions, and to better business outcomes,” said Sital Banerjee, global head of integrated media, performance marketing, and BMI management at Lipton Teas and Infusions.

Malaysia – Holding company VCI Global, headquartered in Malaysia, is set to acquire digital marketing firm Roots Digital, signalling its entry into Singapore.

Valued at approximately US$2.2m, the acquisition is driven by Roots Digital’s significant financial growth in the previous year, recording a substantial increase in revenue.

Through the acquisition, VCI Global elevates its capabilities in SEO and advertising while expanding its presence in the region, combining its expertise with that of Roots Digital.

Roots Digital is an agency specialising in performance marketing across digital channels, with clients in Malaysia and Singapore. Among its clients are National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), Microsoft Corporation, Parkway College of Nursing and Allied Health, and Orita Sinclair School of Design & Music.

Additionally, Roots Digital helps local SMEs acquire up to 50% funding for digital marketing services as an approved vendor under the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Productivity Solutions Grant.

“With this acquisition, we are excited to expand in Singapore, with this move paving the way for future acquisitions that will broaden our offerings and add greater value to clients. The acquisition also serves as a strategic move that will synergize our other key strengths, such as IPO consultancy and AI-related services,” Dato’ Victor Hoo, group executive chairman and CEO of VCI Global, said.

California, USA – The Trade Desk has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Sincera, a digital advertising data company known for delivering objective and actionable insights to the advertising ecosystem.

Sincera has been a trusted partner of The Trade Desk in recent years, providing advertisers with tools to assess the quality of data from publishers and content providers. By enabling more accurate valuation of ad impressions, Sincera’s objective insights have become essential for optimising campaign investments as digital advertising channels and data sources continue to expand.

With this acquisition, Sincera’s tools will integrate into The Trade Desk’s platform, giving advertisers clearer insights into their purchases. It will also help publishers optimise data signals to boost advertising demand and fill rates, highlighting which signals are most valued by advertisers.

“In recent years, the digital advertising landscape has expanded rapidly with the emergence of new channels such as streaming TV, digital audio, and retail media. Sincera has done an amazing job of serving this expanding ecosystem with the right data that can improve performance for all participants in the ad tech supply chain,” Jeff Green, founder and CEO of The Trade Desk, said. 

“With this acquisition, we will scale the impact of Sincera in a way that will upgrade programmatic performance for everyone, and especially the quality of data signals that advertisers get from publishers,” Green added. 

As part of the acquisition, Sincera co-founder and CEO Mike O’Sullivan will report directly to Jeff Green. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to finalise in the first quarter of 2025.

Commenting on the acquisition, O’Sullivan said, “Sincera has become the go-to resource for advertisers and publishers looking for objective data on advertising value. We have retained that objectivity by ensuring our focus on being an expert data company, rather than a data provider.”

“We’re excited to bring our perspective and insights to The Trade Desk. We have a shared belief that trust and growth in the programmatic ecosystem will be fuelled by a transparent and fair marketplace based on objective data,” he added. 

Singapore – Stagwell has announced the intent to acquire ADK GLOBAL, an integrated marketing solutions firm and subsidiary of ADK Holdings Inc. Headquartered in Japan and with offices in 10 markets around the world, ADK GLOBAL delivers integrated marketing solutions based on a deep understanding of local markets, media, and consumers, establishing itself as a trusted partner for local businesses.

This acquisition comes as Stagwell expands its global footprint and invests further in AI-enabled solutions at the forefront of digital marketing. By bringing ADK GLOBAL into Stagwell, the network’s regional staff count rises to over 2,000 team members, spanning agencies and affiliates on the ground in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Moreover, Stagwell and ADK GLOBAL’s complementing suite of AI-powered solutions for digital marketers are set up to help clients, including global and Asian brands such as LG, Shanghai Disney Resort, Google, Dexcom and Adidas, deliver impactful results. 

Furthermore, with the addition of ADK GLOBAL, Stagwell now has a complete offering in APAC of media, creative, and PR for any local, regional or global client opportunity. 

Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of Stagwell, said, “Our vibrant APAC division and its regional coverage are significantly enhanced by the addition of ADK GLOBAL. We’ve been focused on winning local accounts that we can then extend regionally and globally. The ADK GLOBAL team has been pioneers of this strategy and we’re looking forward to introducing their clients to opportunities across borders and to our suite of digital solutions for the modern marketer.”

Meanwhile, Toshiya Oyama, representative director, president & group CEO of ADK Holdings, commented, “ADK GLOBAL has joined Stagwell, a global agency, to collaborate in overseas business. By leveraging Stagwell’s global network, which includes regions in North America, Europe, and Asia, along with their digital-based full services, we will integrate ADK Group’s expertise and personnel to develop our overseas marketing business. This will enable us to provide even more optimal solutions to our client companies, primarily focusing on Japanese clients.”

He added, “Meanwhile, in the content business, including anime and IP, ADK Group will promote the vision of ‘Growing brands and fans,’ and aim to further strengthen its overseas operations by enhancing our business structure.”

Lastly, Yasuyuki Katagi, CEO of ADK GLOBAL, stated, “We will continue to strengthen our collaboration with ADK in Japan while maintaining our current management and account teams to provide our services. By leveraging the strengths of Stagwell, which operates on a global scale, we will further elevate the quality of our expertise in integrated marketing solutions and contribute to the growth of our clients’ businesses.”

Washington, USA – American telecommunications company T-Mobile has announced that it will be acquiring global OOH advertising company Vistar Media for $600m. Said acquisition will benefit the T-Mobile Advertising Solutions business, a move for the carrier to improve its advertising business.

Through the acquisition, T-Mobile will acquire all of Vistar Media’s industry capabilities, which include intelligent marketplace and technology solutions for buying, selling and managing media campaigns across a global network of more than 1.1 million digital screens. 

The network is provided by nearly 370 OOH media owners and serving more than 3,000 brand partner advertisers.

This combination will help transform the DOOH industry by leveraging Vistar’s end-to-end adtech platform and scale, together with T-Mobile’s unique customer insights and data. 

T-Mobile will also elp marketers and advertisers reach consumers with more addressable and measurable solutions, delivering greater efficiency and ROI, while enhancing the consumer experience with more meaningful and engaging content.

JP Colaco, SVP & chief T-Ads officer at T-Mobile, said, “T-Mobile is always envisioning new ways to deliver for consumers and we see a tremendous opportunity to provide more relevant and personalised advertising. Combining T-Mobile’s customer-centric approach and its expertise as one of the nations most scaled marketers, with Vistar’s leading out-of-home technology means advertisers can easily place their ads where they know their audience will be, improving every step of the customer journey. Together with Vistar, T-Mobile will deliver advertising solutions built by marketers, for marketers.”

Meanwhhile, Michael Provenzano, CEO & co-founder of Vistar Media, commented, “We are excited to join T-Mobile, a brand that truly understands the power and potential of out-of-home advertising. For 13 years, Vistar has pioneered using technology and data to transform OOH into a strategic and measurable channel. T-Mobile’s belief in the future of OOH – and their decision to acquire Vistar – underscores the strength of this channel. Together, we have the opportunity to enhance our offerings for customers and partners globally, and inspire brands to think bigger and redefine how they engage with audiences in the real world.”

Australia – News Corp has announced that it is selling Foxtel to sports entertainment platform DAZN for an enterprise value of A$3.4b (US$2.12b), aimed at giving international exposure to Australian sport, while bringing Australian sports fans greater access to programming from across the globe.

The agreement follows a strategic and financial review of Foxtel as part of News Corp’s ongoing efforts to optimize its portfolio and simplify the structure of the Company.

The proposed deal enables News Corp to sharpen its focus on core growth areas: Dow Jones, Digital Real Estate Services, and Book Publishing. Additionally, it grants the company an ownership stake in a larger global sports streaming and entertainment business, DAZN, which boasts over 300 million viewers across 200 markets. DAZN continues to grow rapidly as it expands into new regions and diversifies its sports offerings.

The transaction is anticipated to finalize in the latter half of fiscal 2025, pending regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions. Starting in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, News Corp will classify Foxtel as discontinued operations for financial reporting purposes.

Under the agreement, shareholder loans totaling A$578m (US$374m) owed to News Corp will be fully repaid in cash at the time of closing. Foxtel’s existing debt will be refinanced and transferred with the company upon completion of the transaction. In exchange, News Corp will receive a minority equity stake of approximately 6% in DAZN and gain a seat on its Board of Directors.

Telstra will also divest its minority interest in Foxtel, have its shareholder loans of A$128m (US$83m) repaid, and acquire a minority stake of about 3% in DAZN.

Robert Thomson, chief executive at News Corp, said, “This agreement is a victory for News Corp shareholders, DAZN, and sport fans in Australia and around the world. Foxtel has been transformed into a genuine digital and streaming leader in Australia, and we believe DAZN is the right owner to take the business to the next level with their technological capabilities, global footprint and compelling sports rights.”

He added, “This transaction also allows News Corp to focus on our other growth pillars of Dow Jones, Digital Real Estate and Book Publishing, while benefiting from repayment of our shareholder loans and an improved credit profile. We are proud to be a long-term partner of DAZN and its talented team.”

Meanwhile, Shay Segev, chief executive officer at DAZN, commented, “Australians watch more sport than any other country in the world, which makes this deal an incredibly exciting opportunity for DAZN to enter a key market, marking another step in our long-term strategy to become the global home of sport. Foxtel is a successful business that has undergone a remarkable digital transformation in recent years, and we are confident that our global reach and relentless pursuit of innovation will continue to drive the business forward and ensure long-term success.”

He added, “We are committed to supporting and investing in Foxtel’s television and streaming services, across both sports and entertainment, using our world-leading technology to further enhance the viewing experience for customers. We are also committed to using our global reach to export Australia’s most popular sports to new markets around the world, and we will continue to promote women’s and under-represented sports.”

Lastly, Patrick Delany, group CEO at Foxtel, said, “News Corp’s unwavering support and guidance has seen Foxtel successfully reinvent itself into a dynamic, streaming-led business delivering strong financial performance. We are excited to embark on the next chapter with DAZN, a premier global sports streaming provider, as our new shareholder.”

He added, “DAZN’s backing will enhance our strategy needed, provide access to their global reach, and strengthen the infrastructure and technology to accelerate our transformation. Most importantly, we will continue to be a proudly Australian-based business, led by local management, committed to delivering locally-produced sports and entertainment content for our audiences.”

Japan – Globale entertainment giants Sony and Kadokawa have signed a strategic capital and business alliance agreement, agreeing to conduct a third-party allotment by Kadokawa to Sony on January 7, 2025, with Sony acquiring 12,054,100 new Kadokawa shares for approximately 50 billion yen. 

With the acquisition of the new shares, Sony will become Kadokawa’s largest shareholder, holding approximately 10% of its shares, including the shares Sony previously acquired in February 2021.

This officially confirms previous media reports related to Sony being interested in acquiring the entertainment giant, which specialises in Japanese media and entertainment offerings.

According to both parties, they intend to further strengthen their collaboration to maximise both companies’ IP value globally and facilitate wider and deeper collaboration, such as potential joint investments in the content field, joint discovery of new creators, and joint promotion of further media mixes of both companies’ IP. 

In the future, the two companies plan to discuss specific initiatives for collaboration, such as initiatives to adapt Kadokawa’s IP into live-action films and TV dramas globally, co-produce anime works, expand global distribution of Kadokawa’s anime works through the Sony Group, further expand publishing of Kadokawa’s games, and develop human resources to promote and expand virtual production.

Takeshi Natsuno, chief executive officer at Kadokawa said, “We are very pleased to conclude this capital and business alliance agreement with Sony. This alliance is expected to not only further strengthen our IP creation capabilities, but also increase our IP media mix options with Sony’s support for global expansion, allowing us to deliver our IP to more users around the world.”

He added, “We are confident that this will greatly contribute to maximising the value of our IP and increasing our corporate value in the mid- to long-term. We intend to do our utmost to ensure that our collaborative efforts with Sony produce great results in the global market.”

Meanwhile, Hiroki Totoki, president, COO and CFO at Sony Group, commented, “Through this capital and business alliance, we will become the largest shareholder of Kadokawa, which consistently creates a wide variety of IP, including publications and books, such as light novels and comics, as well as games and anime.”

He added, “By combining Kadokawa’s extensive IP and IP creation ecosystem with the strengths of Sony, which has promoted the global expansion of a wide range of entertainment, including anime and games, we plan to work closely together to realise Kadokawa’s ‘Global Media Mix’ strategy, aimed at maximising the value of its IP, and Sony’s long-term vision, ‘Creative Entertainment Vision.’”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Catcha Digital, an investment holding company focused on digital media and advertising businesses, has announced that it has entered into a share sale agreement to acquire a 70% interest in Tastefully Malaysia for RM7.6m. Said stake acquisition marks Catcha Digital’s ambition to continue growing its integrated digital media business to provide an omnichannel online-to-offline advertising solutions to its client base. 

The acquisition will provide significant cross-selling opportunities between Catcha’s existing advertising client base and Tastefully’s clientele. 

Moreover, Catcha will be able to offer Tastefully’s in person advertising solutions to its clients while Tastefully can leverage Catcha’s comprehensive digital advertising capabilities and online audiences to enhance its advertising offerings to its clientele primarily F&B brands. 

Patrick Grove, chairman of Catcha Digital, said, “The F&B industry in Malaysia represents one of the most dynamic sectors in terms of consumer engagement and brand building. Through this acquisition, we’re combining Tastefully’s proven expertise in creating high-impact consumer events with Catcha’s digital capabilities.”

He added, “What particularly attracted us was Tastefully’s ability to execute large-scale consumer expos events across Malaysia, and their track record of consistently delivering value to both exhibitors and visitors. As brands seek more integrated advertising solutions, we believe this combination will create compelling opportunities for our existing advertisers while opening up new avenues for growth.”

Meanwhile, Esther Fong, CEO of Tastefully, commented, “Over the past 13 years, we’ve built Tastefully into the go-to platform for F&B brands to connect directly with Malaysian consumers. By joining the Catcha Digital family, we can now offer our exhibitors an integrated advertising solution that spans both physical and digital touchpoints.”

She added, “We’re particularly excited about leveraging Catcha’s digital expertise to enhance our event experience and advertising offerings to our clientele. We are very excited to embark on this partnership with Catcha to take our business to the take level.”