Berkery Noyes Releases 2010 Media Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends

NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkery Noyes, a leading middle market investment bank, has released its 2010 Year End Media Merger & Acquisition Trends Report. This report analyzes M&A activity in the Media Industry in 2010 and compares it with activity in the years 2007-2009.

The median revenue multiple of transactions in 2010 rose 28%, from 1.4 in 2009 to 1.8 in 2010.  The median EBITDA multiple also rose from 6.9 in 2009 to 10.4 in 2010, a 51% increase.

Transaction volume in the media industry experienced similar gains.  2010 saw 687 transactions, a 27% increase over the 542 transactions of 2009.  Transaction value, however, has decreased 35% from 2009, from $37 to $24 billion of aggregate transaction value.

The decrease of transaction value may be more properly attributed to the large deals of 2009 rather than a lackluster 2010.  The top four announced transactions of last year totaled over $24 billion, which included the joint venture between Comcast Corporation and General Electric's NBC Universal, wherein Comcast contributed $13.75 billion for a 51% ownership.  If these four large transactions were discounted, deal value in 2010 would represent a near $10 billion gain, or an 84% increase.

The most active acquirer by volume in the media industry between 2007 and 2010 was United Business Media Limited, which made 40 purchases, 21 of which were announced in 2010.

To view the full report, please visit: (www.berkerynoyes.com/doc/trend_report/2010/Fullyear/media.aspx).

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.

SOURCE Berkery Noyes