DeSilva+Phillips, Media Investment Bankers, releases its tenth annual Report on the Media M&A Marketplace, which assesses and analyzes the near-record year of 2007 and predicting trends for 2008. 2007 was the year that the long dormant consumer magazine sector exploded with acquisitions and the long-awaited storming of digital media properties by traditional media companies finally took place. There were 135 transactions in the sector, down slightly from 2006 but more than any other year in the past ten, and deal value was $9.6 billion - less than half of 2006. DeSilva+Phillips is cautiously optimistic for media deals in 2008.

New York, NY January 29, 2008 — DeSilva+Phillips, Media Investment Bankers, releases its tenth annual Report on the Media M&A Marketplace, which assesses and analyzes the near-record year of 2007 and predicting trends for 2008. Here are the highlights.

• 135 transactions - down from the 2006 number but more than any other year in the past ten, with dramatic loss of momentum in the 4th quarter.
• Deal volume: $9.6 billion - less than half of the 2006 total.
• Strategics did 33% of the top 15 deals but 62% of dollar volume.

The Advertising Market
• The ad market lagged the economy, delivering only 0.2% growth.
• An historic event: the consumer magazine sector may overtake the newspaper sector to become the second-largest media sector, after TV.

Public Media Companies
• DeSilva+Phillips’s basket of 11 public companies declined 2.3% - the first time this century publics moved in the opposite direction to the markets.
• 3 of the basket’s companies have disappeared from the public markets.

The Top 15 Deals
• Consumer deals dominated, with 10, including the 2 biggest, Gemstar-TV Guide and Primedia’s Enthusiast Group. Consumer deals were 72% of the $8.06 billion total value of the list.
• Top B2B deals were the sales of Advanstar and ALM. 3rd biggest: Dolan Media’s IPO, 4th best performing out of 90 NYSE IPOs.

Traditional Media Using M&A to Converge with Digital
• Traditional media built digital capability on a big scale.
• Niche rather than platform acquisitions prevailed.
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Since its launch in 2003, the annual “Thumbnail Media Planner” has filled a void in making key marketing and media information available, including ad media rates for all major national and local media, to those who need it fast. The updated 2008 edition of the “Thumbnail Media Planner” boasts more content, a pocket book size convenient for the pocket or purse, and can be ordered online in hard copy or download formats.

Detroit, MI January 21, 2008 — The new Thumbnail Media Planner has filled a void in the advertising and media planning business by synthesizing the most important marketing and media facts and costs into a great pocket sized reference.

We interviewed the publisher, Ron Geskey, CEO of 2020:Marketing Communications LLC, to gain his insights into this unique publication.

Q: What exactly is the Thumbnail Media Planner?

A: The Thumbnail Media Planner is a 104-page pocket sized marketing-media reference focused on thousands of the most important facts about market and media trends, media availabilities, media reach, the 2008 media market/cost outlook, 2008 media pricing forecasts. It also includes demographics and major media costs for each of the top 100 markets, non traditional media, and even a different analysis of media effectiveness. The Planner even includes reach and frequency tables and a glossary.

Q: For whom is the Planner published?

A: The Thumbnail Media Planner is published for anyone involved with planning or approving advertising and media campaigns — ad agencies, advertisers, media, consultants, entrepreneurs, students and professors. The Planner is especially helpful to agency presidents, account and media people (many of whom order copies for their staffs) in the largest as well as smaller agencies and design firms.

Q: How can the Planner help “a planner”?

A. There are many ways this Planner can help individuals and their companies improve quality, productivity, and client perceptions. One is that a Thumbnail Media Planner is a really great reference tool in meetings. When a client asks you, “How much would it cost to run this newspaper ad in the top 50 markets?” Or, “How many markets could we add?” now you can say, “Just a minute, Ill give you a rough estimate… “instead of ‘Let me get back to you…then having somebody spend hours answering a question that could have been eliminated in 30 seconds…’ It’s ideal for quick media research and estimating the cost of advertising media plans. Anyone needing fast access to media data and costs for network or spot television, magazines, radio, newspapers, the internet — or even many non traditional media– would find the Planner invaluable.
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