NETRATINGS NEEMT JUPITER MEDIA METRIX EN ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM OVER
VNU houdt meerderheidsbelang in NetRatings en verkoopt belang in eRatings
VNU deelt mee dat NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT), waarin VNU voor 64% deelneemt, overeenstemming heeft bereikt om Jupiter Media Metrix over te nemen voor een bedrag van ongeveer USD 71,2 miljoen. Bovendien is NetRatings overeengekomen om 80,1% van ACNielsen eRatings.com over te nemen voor een bedrag van USD 16,4 miljoen. NetRatings zal daartoe 1.256.000 aandelen uitgeven aan ACNielsen. NetRatings heeft een leidende positie met het meten en analyseren van het gebruik van internet. ACNielsen eRatings.com is momenteel een joint venture van VNU's dochteronderneming ACNielsen en NetRatings.
Jupiter Media Metrix, waarvan het hoofdkantoor gevestigd is in New York, meet en analyseert wereldwijd het gebruik van internet en nieuwe technologie. In het kader van de fusieovereenkomst wordt aan aandeelhouders Jupiter Media Metrix de keuze geboden tussen 0,1490 aandelen NetRatings of USD 1,95 in contanten in ruil voor elk aandeel Jupiter Media Metrix. Niet meer dan 50% en niet minder dan 30% van de totale overnamesom zal worden uitgekeerd in contanten. De transactie is ter goedkeuring voorgelegd aan de Amerikaanse mededingingsautoriteiten en aan de aandeelhouders van Jupiter Media Metrix, en is afhankelijk van andere gebruikelijke voorwaarden. Verwacht wordt dat deze wordt afgerond in het eerste kwartaal van 2002.
Na afronding van beide transacties zal NetRatings wereldwijd een breed en kwalitatief hoogwaardig pakket diensten leveren op het gebied van internet en onderzoek van nieuwe technologie. Daartoe behoren uitgebreide meting en registratie van internetgebruik en advertentiebestedingen, en analytisch onderzoek. De nieuwe onderneming zal mondiaal een leidende positie houden in het meten van het consumentengedrag op internet.
NetRatings, gevestigd in Milpitas, Californië, verwacht dat met de overname van Jupiter Media Metrix het aantal klanten zal toenemen met ruim 90%. Daartoe behoren toonaangevende mediaondernemingen, reclamebureaus, financiële instellingen, e-commerce marketeers en consultancybedrijven.
NetRatings behaalde over het per 31 december 2000 afgesloten boekjaar een omzet van USD 20,4 miljoen. De pro forma omzet van Jupiter Media Metrix bedroeg in 2000 USD 142,8 miljoen.
ACNielsen eRatings.com ('eRatings') meet en analyseert het gebruik van internet buiten de Verenigde Staten. Deze joint venture is voor 80,1% eigendom van ACNielsen en voor 19,9% van NetRatings. Door deze overname kan NetRatings haar internationale diensten, onder de wereldwijde merknaam Nielsen//NetRatings, stroomlijnen en consolideren. De transactie is afhankelijk van de gebruikelijke voorwaarden en van de effectuering van de acquisitie van Jupiter Media Metrix.
De acquisities zullen naar verwachting resulteren in substantiële kostenbesparingen bij de gecombineerde onderneming. VNU houdt na afronding van beide transacties een meerderheidsbelang in NetRatings, dat maximaal 57% zal zijn.
Perscontacten:
Maarten Schikker telefoon 023 546 36 00
Investor Relations:
Rob de Meel telefoon 023 546 36 48
Caution Required by Certain SEC Rules
In connection with the NetRatings/Jupiter Media Metrix transaction, NetRatings will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a prospectus relating to the shares to be issued to Jupiter Media Metrix stockholders and Jupiter Media Metrix will file with the SEC a proxy statement relating to the special meeting at which its stockholders will vote on that transaction. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents when they become available because they will contain important information about the transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain copies of these documents, when they have been filed with the SEC, as well as other SEC filings of NetRatings and Jupiter Media Metrix, free of charge from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov as well as from the applicable company by directing a request to Jennifer Cohn, Stapleton Communications for NetRatings, at 650-470-4203 (U.S.), or jennifer@stapleton.com, and to Investor Relations for Jupi!
ter Media Metrix, at 212-780-6060 (U.S.), or investor@jmm.com.
NetRatings and its executive officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Jupiter Media Metrix stockholders with respect to the NetRatings/Jupiter Media Metrix transaction. Information regarding such individuals is included in NetRatings's proxy statement dated April 25, 2001 relating to its 2001 annual meeting of stockholders, available free of charge from the SEC and NetRatings as indicated above.
Jupiter Media Metrix and its executive officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Jupiter Media Metrix stockholders with respect to the NetRatings/Jupiter Media Metrix transaction. Information regarding such individuals is included in Jupiter Media Metrix's proxy statement dated April 13, 2001 relating to its 2001 annual meeting of stockholders, available free of charge from the SEC and Jupiter Media Metrix as indicated above.
NetRatings and Jupiter Media Metrix will each be filing with the SEC, within a few days, Current Reports on Form 8-K containing the full text of their merger agreement. The NetRatings 8-K will also contain the full text of the merger agreement relating to the ACNielsen eRatings.com transaction. These filings will be available free of charge from the SEC and the applicable company as identified above.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve a number of uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently expected. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others:
- Risks associated with the conditions to the closing of the Jupiter Media Metrix and ACNielsen eRatings.com transactions and the possibility that these conditions might not be met as to either or both of the transactions
- Risks associated with the successful integration of the acquired businesses and the realization of the anticipated benefits of the two transactions
- Risks associated with the rapidly evolving market for the Company's products
- The increasing competitive market for Internet audience measurement and analytical services
- Risks related to the growth of online advertising
- The combined company's ability to manage international expansion and significant growth in the future
- The combined company's dependence on ACNielsen in connection with international operations in the event that the eRatings transaction is not completed
- Uncertainties about future costs of building and maintaining our audience measurement panels
Additional information about potential factors that may affect NetRatings' business and financial results is included in its annual report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and its quarterly report on form 10Q for the 3 month period ended March 31, 2001 including, without limitation, under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Factors That May Affect Our Performance." Each of these documents is on file with the SEC and is available free of charge, in the manner described above. Additional information will also be set forth in NetRatings' quarterly report on Form 10Q for the 3 month period ending on June 30, 2001, which will be filed with the SEC in the near future. NetRatings does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it or on behalf of the Company.