First-Quarter Media M&A Dips:
First-quarter media M&A failed to surpass or even catch up with volume and value totals in the same period last year, says a forthcoming report from media bankers The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. Total deal value across the 10 sectors tracked by the firm dropped 38 percent, while the number of deals dipped by 6 percent.
The Marketing Services & Technology sector once again led the way in volume and value for the quarter, but came up 13 and 14 percent lower, respectively, than the same period last year. In the first quarter this year there were 118 deals worth a total of $2.5 billion, says the report. While not yet at the same level, Mobile Media & Technology was the only sector to increase in both deal value and volume—its 41 deals for the quarter were valued at $819 million. B-to-b media was way up in value for the quarter (61percent) and there was one fewer deal, bringing the total to 8.
