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Big Canadian deal for Entertainment One

A film and television content provider has established itself as a producer and distributor in Canada following a treble acquisition. Entertainment One (E1) has bought independent TV production companies Barna-Alper Productions and Blueprint Entertainment as well as sales and distribution specialist Oasis Pictures. Mergers & Acquisitions / Monday, 7th July 2008

Fresh thinking: Graeme Dignan

Five years ago, creative guru Graeme Dignan set out to change the way he did business. Now, through a joint venture with Coca-Cola, he's establishing a business model all of his own. Marketing & Sales / Thursday, 3rd July 2008

Ten Alps’ Twenty First Century deal

A factual media group co-founded by Bob Geldof has bought a video production company that produces content for organisations, such as Nike, Sage, the NHS and the Prince’s Trust. Ten Alps, which has TV, radio and Internet operations, bought Twenty First Century Media to strengthen the online video production business it established in November. Mergers & Acquisitions / Thursday, 3rd July 2008

Domain name rush 2.0?

Last week’s decision to allow companies to buy their own top-level domains (TLDs) has led to press forecasts of a ‘land-grab’ similar to that of the late 1990s. Nora Nanayakkara, director of business development at domain marketplace SEDO, believes this prospect may be exaggerated. Business News / Wednesday, 2nd July 2008

Nokia acquires social platform

Plazes, a Swiss-based developer of a platform that helps people coordinate social activities online, has been acquired by Finnish mobile giant Nokia. VC firm Doughty Hanson, an investor in Plazes, will fully exit the company on completion of the deal, which is expected in the third quarter of this year. Mergers & Acquisitions / Tuesday, 24th June 2008

Isobar search leads to Thailand deal

Digital marketing company Isobar has continued the international expansion of its search engine marketing business with an acquisition in Thailand. The company, part of marketing group Aegis, has added Globlet to its search specialist agency iProspect following similar acquisitions in Belgium, Holland and Germany this year. Mergers & Acquisitions / Friday, 20th June 2008

Review Centre in £7 million buy-in

The Review Centre, a user-generated review website that generates revenues from pay-per-click advertising, has been acquired by Ingenious Media Active Capital (IMAC). IMAC’s investment of £7 million gives it a share of 71.5 per cent in the website’s owner, RTL. Mergers & Acquisitions / Friday, 13th June 2008

MAMA gets into Angel groove

Music and media group MAMA has increased its interests in the festivals market after buying a majority stake in Angel Music from Neil Moffitt. The group now owns 70 per cent of the company, which organises dance music festivals, such as Global Gathering and Escape into the Park as well as owning the Godskitchen club brand. Mergers & Acquisitions / Friday, 13th June 2008

Adventis buys technology marketing firm

A marketing services, media buyer and advertising agency in London has added a technology marketing business to its operations following a multi-million pound deal. Adventis Group, which focuses on the healthcare, financial services and property industries, has bought Second2 for as much as £10.5 million. Mergers & Acquisitions / Tuesday, 10th June 2008

Web analytics: why bother?

Internet marketing is big business – search spending alone is expected to more than double to $18.5 billion (£9.25 billion) by 2012, according to Jupiter Research, and that’s just the money businesses are feeding into search engines to get prospects to glance at their sites. Technology in Business / Friday, 6th June 2008

Brave new worlds: branding and rebranding

If your brand slips, then your premium goes and earnings tumble. Get it right and you can scale your ambition to dizzy heights. Marketing & Sales / Tuesday, 3rd June 2008

IMAC funds QobliQ acquisitions

Marketing services group QobliQ, which was founded last year, has acquired two French marketing companies, Nouveau Jour and SponsorClick France. The acquisitions were funded through an investment of £2.3 million by QobliQ’s existing backer, AIM-listed Ingenious Media Active Capital (IMAC). Mergers & Acquisitions / Tuesday, 27th May 2008

Alki David: a man of many parts

With interests from free diving to filmmaking, billionaire Alki David is now looking to tap the video-on-demand market. Business Leaders / Tuesday, 20th May 2008

Retec closes digital deal

A marketing services company that counts Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s among its clients has added a screen communications business to its operations. Retec Digital, which provides systems for retailers to promote their products, has bought Liquid Digital, a designer and operator of in-store digital screens. Mergers & Acquisitions / Tuesday, 20th May 2008

Promotion Space acquires Brandspace

A Cheshire-based company which organises promotions in shopping centres across the UK has acquired a rival business. Promotion Space Group purchased Brandspace with backing from Octopus Private Equity, which first invested in the acquirer in April last year. Mergers & Acquisitions / Wednesday, 7th May 2008

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