![M&A Report: True[X], CPA Global, and SuperAwesome In the News ](https://mediaradar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ma-10-6-640x460.jpg)
In keeping with our mission to provide comprehensive advertising analysis, MediaRadar puts together a report of the most important mergers and acquisitions news each week. Stay in the loop, whether you sell advertising space or focus on business development.
This week, Gimbal acquired TrueX, Clarivate Analytics gained CPA Global, and Epic Games purchased SuperAwesome.
Gimbal gains ”addressable TV” capabilities with True[X]
Walt Disney Co. sold its ad-tech company TrueX to Gimbal, a company that provides location-based technology and ad services. Disney picked up TrueX as part of its $71.3 billion deal for 21st Century Fox assets in March of last year.
Disney is now pivoting to a more centralized ad solution for connected TV/OTT, Disney Hulu XP, which launched on Oct 1. This product allows marketers to make one buy, at one price, and their ad can run anywhere across
Disney’s entire digital portfolio, with deals guaranteed on completed views. With this recent acquisition of TrueX, Gimbal is taking its hyper-targeted ad services to the CTV/OTT market.
TrueX gives Gimbal “addressable TV” capabilities, which allows advertisers to show different commercials to different audiences watching the same shows on more traditional media platforms.
Spurred by the pandemic, Connected TV viewing rates skyrocketed 105% in the first two quarters of 2020. The terms of the deal have not been released.
Clarivate Analytics purchases CPA Global
Clarivate Analytics has completed an acquisition of CPA Global, combining the two companies into a single intellectual property company valued around $15 billion. As part of the deal, CPA shareholders will receive a 35% stake in Clarivate.
Clarivate, formerly the IP and science division of Thomson Reuters, has grown rapidly through a number of acquisitions including the purchase of Darts-ip, a leader of property case law and IP analytics, last December. Back in April 2018, CPA actually acquired Clarivate’s IP management business.
Clarivate’s outright acquisition of CPA grants the company market dominance with few serious competitors for managing and protecting brands, trademarks, and domain names. The deal also strengthens its existing stronghold on patent prosecution.
Epic Games acquires “kidtech” platform SuperAwesome
SuperAwesome, a leading “kidtech” platform that enables kid-safe digital engagement in advertising and social platforms, has been acquired by Epic Games. Epic Games is the developer of Gears of War and, more recently, Fortnite.
SuperAwesome has worked with more than 300 brands, including Hasbro, Lego, and NBC Universal.
The acquisition follows Epic Games’ $15 million investment in Manticore Games, a user-generated content startup. Manticore, in contrast to other user-created companies like Minecraft and Roblox, builds games for teens and adults.
Also, last week Epic Games joined a coalition of companies including Spotify and Match Group, to pressure Apple and Google to change their app store rules and push for fair competition in those markets.
In Other News
Here are other noteworthy deals coming up soon:
- Apple Inc. plans to acquire Scout FM, a podcast app that gives listeners a curated variety of podcast content based on stations created by users’ chosen interests and listening history.
- Sony has announced that it plans to acquire the virtualized media production tech provider Nevion AS.
- SAP SE announced plans to acquire omnichannel customer engagement platform provider Emarsys.
- Casino giant Caesars Entertainment, Inc. announced that it plans to acquire William Hill PLC for approximately $3.74 billion, bringing together one of the larges gaming-entertainment companies in the U.S. and one of the world’s leading betting and gambling companies.
- Salty snacks maker Utz Quality Foods, LLC announced that it has agreed to acquire certain assets of the H.K. Anderson brand from ConAgra Brands Inc.
- K-pop boy band BTS’s label Big Hit Entertainment is set to go public in South Korea in October.
- Palantir Technologies, best known for helping government agencies analyze big data, went public on Wednesday through a direct listing, hitting a market capitalization of around $20 billion.
