2009-07-08 Berkery Noyes Releases 1st Half 2009 Media Merger & Acquisition Trends – Entertainment Content & Internet Media Carry the Torch

New York, July 8, 2009 – In line with market-wide M&A trends, both the volume and value of Media Industry transactions dropped sharply during the 1st Half of 2009 compared with the same period last year. In addition, the ongoing user-driven transition from traditional format to new media, which the industry has had difficulty monetizing, has compounded the effect of the global economic slowdown and resulted in a more marked decline in M&A activity than was seen in other Information industries.

One bright spot in the Media Industry was the Entertainment Content segment, where aggregate transaction value grew by 10% during the 1st Half of 2009 to $612 million, from $557 million in the same period of 2008. Interestingly, this increase was due in large part to a small number of high-value game development studio acquisitions. For comparison, M&A activity in Entertainment Content has historically been dominated by Film, Television, and Music Studio transactions.

Reflecting the transition from traditional to new media, the Internet Media segment continues to generate the most M&A interest, outpacing all other media industry segments in terms of the number of transactions announced in the 1st Half of 2009.

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Berkery Noyes provides skilled transaction management to publicly traded and privately held businesses and private equity groups in both sell-side and buy-side mergers and acquisitions. We have managed transactions ranging from several million to more than four billion dollars in value, with an emphasis on mid market transactions of $10 million to $500 million in enterprise value.

Our clients include private companies seeking a buyer, most of the major international information companies, and private equity firms who use the firm’s expertise in locating, analyzing and negotiating with acquisition candidates and in managing divestitures. The firm operates with a staff of forty professionals serving the information industry.

For more information, visit www.berkerynoyes.com or call John Shea or James Berkery at (212) 668-2022.