18th Aug 2005 06:00
18 August 2005 United Business Media acquires three highly complementary online and events businesses for a total of $56.5m United Business Media ("UBM") today announced that it has acquired threebusinesses in line with its strategy of adding bolt-on complementarymulti-media assets to its existing industry verticals.The businesses acquired (for cash consideration) are:* Light Reading Inc, an integrated business media company combining online publishing, live events and research/analysis for the communications industry, which has been acquired for $27m * Informex, an important US chemicals events business, which has been acquired for $24m * TechOnLine, an online electronics business media platform in the US, which has been acquired for $5.5m CEO of UBM, David Levin, said"These acquisitions will strengthen UBM in three industry verticals withinwhich we already have a significant presence. Each acquisition will deepen andenrich the offering we are able to provide our customers."Light ReadingLight Reading provides a wide range of high value information products andservices to professionals responsible for building, deploying, managing andfinancing communications and enterprise networks.Its business comprises five market leading online web sites (includinglightreading.com, the world's largest online telecommunications publication,with more than 400,000 unique users), a wide range of web-based seminars, aseries of live events and other related products. In 2004, Light Readinggenerated revenues of $10.1m and EBITDA of $2.6m.Light Reading represents a good opportunity for CMP to continue the expansionof its online business, increasing both CMP's non-print business and expandingthe market coverage of CMP's enterprise products. With the convergingtelecommunications and IT markets, CMP and Light Reading have overlappingadvertiser bases and user audiences.In addition to the initial consideration, today's transaction includes apotential maximum earnout of up to $8m, subject to performance criteria overthe next 2 years.CEO of CMP Media, Gary Marshall, said"The acquisition of Light Reading represents an important expansion of CMP'sonline business. Light Reading is a successful, fast growing and profitableonline and event platform in an important vertical market within the technologysector. It is a platform that CMP Media will look, where possible and whereviable, to replicate or use as a model for a number of its other verticalmarkets in the technology sector."InformexInformex is the leading specialty and custom chemical trade show and exhibitionin the United States and is being acquired from the Synthetic Organic ChemicalManufacturers Association ("SOCMA"). The acquisition of this US based businessbuilds on CMPi's existing strong chemicals and pharmaceutical ingredientsoperations in Europe and Asia. Today's move makes CMPi the world leader inchemicals industry events.CMPi holds its existing strong position in European and Asian based chemicalsevents through CPhI - a chemical and pharmaceutical ingredients business thatattracts over 20,000 industry professionals and over 1,500 exhibitingcompanies. Informex brings with it over 4,000 delegates and around 500exhibitors.In 2005 (the event takes place in February), Informex generated $4.6m ofrevenue and an EBITDA of $2.3m.CEO of CMP Information, Bernard Gray, said"Informex is the leading broad fine chemicals show in the US and is a "mustattend" event in the industry. This acquisition will extend CMPi's chemicalsbusiness into North America providing a strong US platform for growth. CMPiwill also be able to serve its customers better by expanding Informex's broaderchemical market presence into Europe and Asia where CMPi's CPhI business unithas a market leading position in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Ingredientsevents. We look forward to continuing to work closely with SOCMA as we grow thebusiness."TechOnLineTechOnLine has created a worldwide online community of more than 335,000electronics engineering professionals by providing in-depth information,product services and training materials to the electronics technology industry.TechOnLine's business comprises three separate units: Marketing & PromotionalServices (encompassing online webcasting, sponsorship programs and emailmarketing), E-Training and VirtuaLab, an online electronics evaluation tool.The combination of CMP Media Electronics Group's more than 14 market-leadingmedia properties such as EE Times, DesignLines and Embedded Systems Conferenceswith TechOnLine's leading online services will create the most comprehensiveset of news, information and education resources available to the electronicsindustry.TechOnLine's key business is its Marketing & Promotional Services unit. In the12 months to June 2005, this business generated revenues of $3.0m and EBITDA of$0.8m. We are only attributing nominal values to the two other embryonicbusiness units, which are currently unprofitable.In addition to the initial consideration, today's transaction includes apotential maximum earnout of up to $2.5m, subject to performance criteria.CEO of CMP Media, Gary Marshall, said"The acquisition of TechOnLine creates a unique and powerful online resourcefor our customers in the Electronics industry. By adding TechOnLine's offeringsto our existing industry leading media and event properties, we will beextending our online presence and enhancing our ability to serve the demandingdaily needs of our electronics industry audience."For further information, please contact:Fiona Piper The Maitland Consultancy 020 7379 5151 Richard Kerr United Business Media 020 7921 5097 - END - Notes to Editors:About Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/)Established in February 2000, Light Reading's focus on producing high-qualityindependent content has allowed the company to attract a global audience ofmore than 400,000 to its network of sites, as well as an active customer baseof 370 companies, including every leading public and private firm in thetelecommunications industry.Light Reading has been built around the lightreading.com website. However, thebusiness also has four other online sites: byteandswitch.com (storage),unstrung.com (wireless), nextgendata.com (data centre management) andheavyreading.com (market research repository). The company has also diversifiedand produces a wide range of events serving the communications industry.Light Reading leads all telecom media in terms of traffic, content, andreputation, and reaches every level of the telecommunications pyramid: serviceproviders, equipment manufacturers, and the business/financial community.With its monthly audience in excess of 400,000 unique visitors, Light Readingis easily the largest online telecommunications publication in the world. Itsmonthly readership is greater than the audited circulation of its all its printcompetitors combined.UBM is acquiring Light Reading Inc from its shareholders.Related Websites:http://www.byteandswitch .com/ http://www.heavyreading .com/ http://www.unstrung .com/ http://www.nextgendata .com/ About CMP Media (http://www.cmp.com)CMP Media is the leading integrated media solutions company providing "broadand deep" access to the entire technology spectrum - the builders, sellers andbuyers of technology worldwide. The company's comprehensive database oftechnology decision makers enables marketers to reach targeted audiencesthroughout the purchase process with publications, web offerings, face-to-faceevents, consulting and other marketing services that deliver actionableresults.About Informex (http://www.informex.com/)For over 21 years, INFORMEX‚® has been the premier US venue for connecting thechemical industry to the latest technological advances and the newestdevelopments in custom manufacturing, with nearly 480 exhibiting companies andover 4,000 specialty and fine chemical professionals in attendance.About SOCMAThe Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) is the leadingtrade association serving the specialty-batch and custom chemical industrysince 1921. Its 300 member companies have more than 2,000 manufacturing sitesand 100,000 employees. SOCMA members encompass every segment of theindustry-from small specialty producers to large multinational corporations-andmanufacture 50,000 products annually valued at $60 billion dollars.About CPhI (http://www.cphi.com)CPhI started in 1990 as an international convention on chemical andpharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. The first CPhI in 1990 attracted250 visitors for 16 companies, while nowadays 20,000 industry professionalsvisit some 1,500 exhibiting companies from over 110 countries in the world.CPhI is the leading exhibition on pharmaceutical ingredients and alliedindustries. Every year the exhibition becomes larger with exhibitors andvisitors doing business at CPhI. It is the perfect opportunity to develop newbusiness contacts and to maintain existing relationships. The next CPhI showwill be held in Madrid on November 1st - 3rd 2005.About CMP Information (http://www.cmpinformation.com)CMP Information is the UK-headquartered professional media division of UnitedBusiness Media plc. Operating in the UK and Europe, CMPi provides creativeprofessional media solutions to around 20 industry sectors. Its products,including magazines, exhibitions, conferences, awards, directories andwebsites, are targeted at business professionals across a range of professionalmarkets; these include Building & Property, Medical, Chemical andPharmaceutical Ingredients, Travel, Agriculture and Print.About TechOnLine (http://www.techonline.com/)TechOnLine enjoys a leading position in connecting Electronic OriginalEquipment Manufacturers (EOEM) with electronics design engineers through itsonline program offerings and web communities. The EOEM marketplace is asizeable $200 billion market.TechOnLine works with the world's top electronic component manufacturers, inaddition to almost 400,000 registered users who rely on its websites andprogram offerings to gain valuable design information throughout the design andmanufacturing process.TechOnLine has built an enviable customer list that includes Intel, Freescale(Motorola), Renesas (Mitsubishi/Hitachi), Texas Instruments, Agilent and manyother top tier electronics manufacturers. Part of the success of the company todate has been that TechOnLine's web-based relationship marketing programsprovide high and measurable ROI for these customers.UBM is acquiring the assets of the TechOnLine business from TechOnLine Inc.About CMP Media's Electronics GroupCMP Media's Electronics Group is the premier technology and business mediabrand serving the information needs of the creators of technology worldwidethrough print, online and conferences.As the most comprehensive and integrated source of electronics technologyinformation, CMP's Electronics Group offers a full suite of products andservices to reach the largest number of electronics systems designprofessionals throughout the world. With its combination of media properties,CMP Media's Electronics Group focuses on delivering a targeted audience andactionable information to marketers in the electronics technology community.Each month, CMP Media Electronics Group delivers more than 1 million copies ofits publications in five languages to subscribers in 55 countries, and onlinevisitors from more than 100 countries view more than 7.5 million pages on itsWeb sites in six different languages. Each year, more than 35,000 decisionmakers from 48 countries attend CMP Electronics Group conferences in NorthAmerica, China, Taiwan and Europe.CMP Media's Electronics Group properties include:* Print: EE Times, Embedded Systems Programming, Electronics Supply & Manufacturing * Online: EE Times Online, DesignLines, PlanetAnalog.com, Embedded.com, my-esm.com, CommsDesign.com, and SupplyLines * Conferences: Embedded Systems Conferences, Embedded Connect and Design Seminars United Business Media plc (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com) is a leadingprovider of business information services to the technology, healthcare, media,automotive, financial services and property industries. UBM offers services innews distribution, publishing and events to customers across the globe. Itsbrands include PR Newswire, the world's leading corporate news distributionservice; and CMP, the media and exhibition group serving the Professional andEnthusiast in the high tech, healthcare, property, entertainment, jewellery &fashion markets in the US, UK, Asia and Europe.This press release includes statements, which are not historical facts and areconsidered "forward-looking" within the meaning of Section 27 of the SecuritiesAct of 1933, as amended. These forward-looking statements reflect UBM's currentviews about future events, business and growth strategy and financialperformance. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use ofterms and phrases such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "ontarget" and similar expressions identifying forward-looking statements.Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they aresubject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could causeactual results to differ materially from UBM's expectations. UBM expressly doesnot undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements. Management doesnot attempt to update forecasts unless conditions materially change.ENDUNITED BUSINESS MEDIA PLCRelated Shares:
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