Ad merger fever rages on — Zanox goes to Axel Springer, slips from ValueClick
Axel Springer and PubliGroupe have acquired online advertising company Zanox.de for EUR 214.9 million, the latest in the frantic rush by traditional companies to grab a stake in the online advertising industry.
Axel Springer will own 60 percent, PubliGroupe 40 percent. The acquisition is subject to approval by anti-trust agencies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Statement here.
Zanox, which focuses on performance-based advertising, had also been eyed by another company ValueClick, according to reports. It has about a million sales partners internationally that it targets for its clients. Founded seven years ago, it says it has more than 275 employees worldwide.
The terms let Axel Springer and PubliGroupe tailor Zanox to their needs, effectively splitting it into two companies to focus on their respective geographic areas of strength.
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About the Author, Matt Marshall
Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
