Webedia acquires Germany’s leading entertainment network focused on gaming IDG Entertainement Media.
Clipperton Finance acted as sole buy-side advisor to Webedia
Berlin/Paris – April 2015 – Clipperton Finance Berlin office is pleased to announce the acquisition of IDG Entertainment Media, Onlinewelten and IDGPS Media Network, three subsidiaries of IDG Communications Media AG.
Since Cédric Siré and Guillaume Multrier co-founded Webedia in 2007, the company has become a global leader in digital media, with a portfolio of 25 premium vertical websites in 7 countries associated with the lifestyle and entertainment universe, reaching 55 million monthly unique visitors globally. Since being acquired in May 2013 by Fimalac, Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière’s holding company, Webedia has expanded aggressively in various digital verticals and geographies via external growth targeting digital entertainment champions. In pursuit of this growth, Clipperton Finance has already managed three notable transactions in 2014: Moviepilot.de (the leading German filmed entertainment website),Diwanee (the leading digital media player focused on women in the Middle-East) and Jeuxvideo (#1 gaming site in France).
With Moviepilot.de, Filmstarts.de, Gamespilot.de, Purestars.de and other social media platforms, Webedia is already established as one of the leading publishers in the digital entertainment field in Germany. With the acquisition of three IDG companies operating the leading gaming-oriented brands Gamestar, Gamepro, Online Welten as well as a leading Youtube Network Allyance (100 million video views per month), Webedia will significantly expand its business in Germany and assume market leadership in the Cinema and Gaming verticals.
Guilaume Multrier, CEO of Webedia, said “Germany is one of the most strategic markets in Europe. We are happy that IDGE adheres to our growth strategy and that we were able to integrate the company to our international entertainment Network”.
With the closing of this transaction, Clipperton Finance underline their expertise in managing cross-border transactions utilizing a team that spans three offices in Paris, Berlin and London. With other recent closings, including Menlook’s acquisition of Frontlineshop (DE), Learnship’s strategic alliance withCartus (US), Vodeclic’s sale to Skillsoft (US) and Linxens’ acquisition of KNL Group (THA), Clipperton has established strong global coverage with a broad range of subject matter expertise, from Adtech to mobile and Digital Media as well as SaaS/ traditional software.
For more information, please contact:
Clipperton Finance
Stéphane Valorge, Partner, svalorge@clipperton.net
Nicolas von Bülow, Partner, nvonbulow@clipperton.net
Thibaut Revel, Partner, trevel@clipperton.net
About Clipperton Finance
Clipperton Finance is a European corporate finance boutique exclusively dedicated to the HighTech and Media industries. Clipperton Finance advises high growth companies on financial transactions, fundraisings, capital increases and Mergers & Acquisitions. With a team based in offices spanning London, Paris and Berlin, and an international reach, Clipperton Finance is a European leader in the sector. The team has successfully structured more than one hundred high level international transactions in the European High Tech sector. For more information, visit www.clipperton.net