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8-K - FORM 8-K - COMSCORE, INC. | w79703e8vk.htm |
Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: | Andrew Lipsman | ||
comScore, Inc. | ||||
+1 (312) 775-6510 | ||||
press@comscore.com |
comScore Acquires Nedstat, Global Analytics and Online Optimization Provider
Acquisition Adds New Products and Capabilities to Unified Digital Measurement Platform
RESTON, VA, September 1, 2010 comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital
world, today announced that it has acquired Nedstat, a leading provider of web analytics and
innovative video measurement solutions for approximately $36.7 million. Headquartered in Amsterdam,
the Netherlands, Nedstat offers world class technology that helps organizations optimize customer
experiences and maximize the return on digital media investments. With the Nedstat technology
installed on thousands of sites, the acquisition helps comScore accelerate its global expansion
strategy, particularly in European markets, and strengthens comScores Unified Digital Measurement
(UDM) platform, which combines panel-based audience measurement with census-level data collection
to provide a holistic view of digital consumer behavior.
The acquisition of Nedstat is another important step towards fulfilling our vision of making the
Unified Digital Measurement platform the global standard for digital measurement, said Dr. Magid
Abraham, comScore President & CEO. In addition, our clients are asking for a new class of business
applications to maximize the monetization of their audiences using the UDM data we already collect.
The Nedstat platform helps us deliver substantial additional value to clients, expand existing
customer relationships, and broaden the scope of our addressable market by adding new and unique
digital business analytics to comScores offerings. Nedstat clients have benefited over the years
from the platforms detailed and flexible analytical tools and elegant user-experience. We are
committed to using Nedstats technology to develop new applications, greater scalability, a more
expansive data set, and a unified and consistent view of audience statistics, all of which we think
will help generate actionable insights that can lead to improved business results for customers.
We are excited to join forces with comScore, a recognized global leader in digital measurement,
said Michael Kinsbergen, CEO of Nedstat. comScores Unified Digital Measurement platform
presents a compelling vision of the future of digital measurement, and we are eager to play a vital
role in helping to make that vision a reality. We believe that Nedstat web analytics can add
substantial value for clients when combined with the existing comScore measurement platform.
Upon the acquisition, Nedstat became a wholly owned subsidiary of comScore. Mr. Kinsbergen will be
helping in the transition and will continue to be involved by joining comScores advisory board. In
addition, Fred Appelman, Nedstats Chief Technology Officer, and Michiel Berger, Nedstats
co-founder and Chief Innovations Officer, will join comScore in senior strategy and technology
roles.
comScore believes that the Nedstat acquisition will contribute approximately $4 million of
additional revenue for the remainder of 2010. comScore anticipates that due to transaction-related
expenses and transaction-related accounting adjustments the transaction will be dilutive to 2010
GAAP and non-GAAP net income, but accretive to quarterly GAAP and non-GAAP net income within the
first half of 2011.
Clients Voice Support
With todays fast paced and complex digital media landscape, it is crucial for an International
media group like Eurosport to have a global source of digital market intelligence providing
analytics, audience measurement, insight into consumer behavior and socio-demographic
characteristics on Internet, online video, mobile and tablet usage. Joining Nedstats analytic
solution with comScores Unified Digital Measurement platform is a very positive development. The
benefit for Eurosport of having one single service provider will be twofold: we will have all the
information we need about consumer behaviour on our digital platforms and at the same time the
analytics needed to optimize the performance of our clients advertising campaigns.
| Pierre-Emmanuel Ferrand, Head of Programmes Marketing and Research, Eurosport |
Sound data and analytics are the lifeblood of any digital business and we support any efforts
in our industry to bring the various data sets into greater harmony. This will enable us to have
greater confidence in the data and make better business decisions in a more timely and efficient
manner.
| Roberto Massiff, VP of Sales, Grupo El Mercurio |
comScore to Discuss Acquisition in Conference Call
comScore management will discuss todays announcement in a conference call today, Wednesday,
September 1, 2010, at 8:00 AM ET (14:00 CEST). The conference call and replay can be accessed by
telephone and webcast as follows:
Call-in Number: 866.314.4865, Passcode 95213991
(International) 617.213.8050, Passcode 95213991
(International) 617.213.8050, Passcode 95213991
Replay Number: 888-286-8010, Passcode 91044502
(International) 617-801-6888, Passcode 91044502
(International) 617-801-6888, Passcode 91044502
Webcast (live and replay): http://ir.comscore.com/events.cfm
About Nedstat
Nedstat is a leading provider of web analytics and innovative solutions for online business
optimization. Its flagship product is Sitestat, which empowers marketers to optimize customer
interactions and improve conversion by making online experiences more personalized and
relevant. Its Stream Sense product is a frontrunner in video analytics. The Nedstat products
and services help marketers improve the effectiveness and profitability of online marketing
programs and optimize customer experiences and marketing spend. The customer list includes many
renowned and internationally operating companies such as Electrabel, Europcar, London Stock
Exchange, Panasonic, Renault, Repsol and Wolters Kluwer and many public and commercial television
organizations throughout Europe such as Eurosport, France Televisions, ITV, NOS, NRK, RTL, SVT and
VRT. Key accreditations by Europes leading independent web standards organizations such as ABC
electronic, OJD, KIA and Audiweb ensure that metrics are in full compliance with leading industry
standards. Nedstat was founded in 1996 and employs 125 people with offices in Amsterdam (HQ),
Antwerp, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris and Stockholm. Local people staff all offices, and the
Nedstat products, documentation, consultancy and training are offered in local languages.
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred
source of digital marketing intelligence. comScore helps its clients better understand, leverage
and profit from the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape by providing solutions in the
measurement and evaluation of online audiences, advertising effectiveness, social media, search,
video, mobile, e-commerce, and a broad variety of other emerging forms of digital behavior.
comScores capabilities are based on a global panel of approximately 2 million Internet users who
have given comScore explicit permission to confidentially capture their browsing and purchase
behavior. These data can also be combined with census-level Web site or telecom carrier data to
provide the most comprehensive and unified measurement of digital activity. comScores recent
acquisition of ARSgroup adds one of the industrys most validated measurement of the persuasive
power of advertising in TV and multi-media campaigns. comScore services are used by more than 1,400
clients around the world, including global leaders such as AOL, Baidu, BBC, Best Buy, Carat,
Deutsche Bank, ESPN, Facebook, France Telecom, Financial Times, Fox, Microsoft, MediaCorp, Nestle,
Starcom, Terra Networks, Universal McCann, Verizon Services Group, ViaMichelin and Yahoo!. For more
information, please visit www.comScore.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not
limited to, comScores expectations regarding the impact and benefits of the acquisition of
Nedstat, financial or otherwise; comScores expectations regarding the growth, opportunities and
favorability of the market for mobile enterprise and marketing products;
and comScores expectations as to the integration of Nedstats products and customer base with its
existing products. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the impact of integrating Nedstats business
and products into comScores business and products; the possibility that the web analytics market
does not grow and develop as expected; comScores ability to retain customers of Nedstat; the risk
of integration difficulties with Nedstat; comScores ability to grow its existing customer base and
develop new products; the expected strength of comScores business and client demand for comScores
products; the future quality of client relationships and resulting renewal rates; expectations of
customer growth; and expectations of sales growth.
For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to comScores Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2010, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period
ended December 31, 2009 and from time to time other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the SEC), which are available on the SECs Web site (http://www.sec.gov).
Stockholders of comScore are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. comScore does not undertake
any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances
or new information after the date of this press release, or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.