Screen Digest agrees to acqusition

Mergers, acquisition and consolidation leave no part of the games industry untouched: today respected market research agency Screen Digest has agreed to an acquisition by US-based data firm iSuppli.

iSuppli’s specialism is ‘the electronics value chain’ – it’s best known for offering price guides to components used in hardware like the iPhone and PS3 and estimating their production costs.

Its acquisition of Screen Digest is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

No jobs will be lost – in fact iSuppli says the eventual merger will create more job opportunities as it grows into a global market data powerhouse.

London-based Screen Digest is known for offering analysis and market insight on all kinds of fields; film, TV, broadband media, mobile media, cinema, home entertainment, TV technology, and video games.

It has been running for almost 40 years, with its 45-strong analyst team run by Ben Keen.

The acquisition will include Screen Digest’s US subsidiary AMR.

We at Screen Digest are looking forward to the prospect of joining the iSuppli team by combining our decades of media research with their extensive and detailed electronic value chain expertise,” said Allan Hardy, MD of Screen Digest said in a statement this morning.

With developments in the media industry increasingly tied to the proliferation of new technology platforms and services, iSuppli and Screen Digest will be uniquely positioned to help clients throughout the TMT supply chain understand and capitalise on the forces reshaping the global entertainment and electronics businesses.”

Derek Lidow, President and Chief Executive Officer of iSuppli added: The addition of Screen Digest’s vast range of Intelligence services would enable iSuppli to offer its clients the most complete understanding of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) value chain in the market research business today.

From raw materials, to electronic component and pricing, to end-markets trends and demand, iSuppli covers the entire electronics value chain. With this acquisition, iSuppli plans to marry its in-depth technology research to Screen Digest’s detailed analysis of media content, distribution and enabling platform trends for traditional and new media.

"Screen Digest’s strong London base would enhance the iSuppli analyst and sales presence in Europe and serve as a launching pad for the combined companies’ services. The highly-developed iSuppli sales and marketing organisation on other parts of the globe, particularly in North America and in Asia, will be exercised to support the acquisition. Due to the exceptionally good fit between the two firms, no redundancies are expected on either side as a result of the acquisition which we believe will greatly enhance career opportunities for all involved.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.