OLD Media Moves

Financial Times is in talks to make digital acquisitions

November 21, 2016

Posted by Chris Roush

FT logoThe Financial Times is in talks to buy companies that strengthen its digital subscription business, reports Gerry Smith of Bloomberg News.

Smith writes, “The publisher is hunting for companies that can ‘support and accelerate our growth in quality content and, in particular, are based on digital subscriptions,’ Ridding said in an interview in New York. The company is also interested in technology firms that bolsters its data analytics — valuable for targeting readers with advertising and subscriber offers, he said.

“‘We have a number of opportunities in the acquisition zone on the radar,’ Ridding said. The newspaper declined to comment on which companies it was talking with. ‘There are some irons in the fire.’

“Nikkei bought the London-based Financial Times a year ago for $1.3 billion after a bidding war with Germany’s Axel Springer SE. Prior to that, the financial newspaper was owned for 58 years by Pearson Plc, which had focused resources on turning around its education business.

“‘That left the FT needing support in particular areas of development,’ Ridding said. ‘Nikkei has been very supportive of the investments we need to make.'”

Read more here.

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