INFORMATION INDUSTRY FIRST QUARTER 2012 TRENDS REPORT

Berkery Noyes has released its Information Industry M&A trends report for the first quarter. The report is defined by Berkery Noyes as covering all Media and Marketing, Software, and Online and Mobile companies.

According to James Berkery, Chief Information Officer at Berkery Noyes, “there is a market need for software solutions that are capable of deconstructing large amounts of data from the Web. Connotate’s acquisition of Fetch Technologies, which will result in a merger between the two companies, is a good example of M&A with the goal of meeting demand for big data aggregation. Companies are recognizing the need to improve their analytics tools, and the aforementioned acquisition shows the desirability for improved and more structured data management.”

PRIVATE EQUITY IN INFORMATION M&A FOR 2011

The Private Equity trends report covers transactions made by financially sponsored acquirers within the Information Industry – defined as media, software, and online & mobile companies – including acquisitions made by subsidiaries or platforms of private equity firms.

"Although deal volume involving PE fluctuated throughout 2011, our data does present a healthy year to year improvement," said Berkery Noyes Managing Partner John Shea. "Both the value and volume of deals have shown an average of 20% growth for three years in a row, which is heartening to see. Let’s hope this trend continues and is an early indicator of an improving overall economy."

INFORMATION INDUSTRY M&A FOR 2011

The Information Industry trends report is defined by Berkery Noyes as covering Media, Software, and Online & Mobile companies.

"Large tech players were heavily involved in intellectual property M&A," said James Berkery, Chief Information Officer at Berkery Noyes. "Strong strategic interest in the sector was evident in 2011. For instance, Nortel sold 6,000 wireless patents in July 2011 for $4.5 billion to a consortium that included Microsoft, Research In Motion, Sony, Ericsson, EMC, and Apple."