Media M&A activity in 2012 doubled
January 2, 2013, 12:31 pm EDT
New York—Media mergers and acquisitions reached 1,351 transactions last year, double the number in 2011, with a total value of almost $75.0 billion, according to media investment firm Jordan, Edmiston Group.
The record-setting volume was driven primarily by smaller deals, with approximately 90% of M&A transactions valued at less than $50.0 million, according to the investment bank. However, 14 deals during the year were valued at more than $1.0 billion.
More than 400 transactions closed during the fourth quarter of the year.
M&A activity in b2b media was up 143% over last year, according to Jordan Edmiston.
Among the top deals were Dentsu's agreement to acquire global advertising network Aegis Group for about $5.0 billion and Nielsen's acquisition of Arbitron for $1.2 billion.