Largest 2008 Digital Media M&A Transactions

Getty Images offers a full range of content solutions to meet the needs of customers around the world. With a broad portfolio that includes the Getty Images, Stock, and Unsplash brands, the Company reaches and empowers a broad base of global customers ranging from international enterprises to amateur creators. Getty Images was formed in 1995 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Hellman & Friedman
Investor
Private Equity Firm
San Francisco, California
www.hf.com

Farallon Capital Management
Investor
Asset Manager
San Francisco, California
www.faralloncapital.com

Audible, Inc. is a provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the internet, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible content, which includes more than 100,000 audio programs from more than 1,800 content providers that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers, is digitally downloaded and played back on over 500 popular devices. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes® Store.

Amazon
Company
E-Commerce
Seattle, Washington
www.amazon.com

Napster is an online streaming music service. Napster, the pioneer of digital music, offers the ultimate in interactive music experiences, creating better ways to discover, share, acquire and enjoy music -- anytime, anywhere. Napster was founded in 1999 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Best Buy
Company
Retail
Richfield, Minnesota
www.bestbuy.com
Advisor: Robins Kaplan

Hands-On Mobile Korea is a mobile game developer and publisher.

Electronic Arts
Company
Digital Media
Redwood City, California
www.ea.com

Hands-On Mobile, Inc.
Company
Gaming
San Francisco, California
www.handson.com

Brand Connections creates and executes digitally integrated marketing campaigns that enhance brand awareness, influence consumers on their path-to-purchase, and increase sales for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and national retailers. The company is retail-centric and digitally savvy across all divisions, fulfilling the needs of its clients through its full suite of in-house capabilities, including a strong focus on retail and shopper in-store marketing programs, sampling and fulfillment services, digital media, digital consumer promotions, and experiential solutions, among other services.

VSS Capital Partners
Investor
Private Equity Firm
New York, New York
www.vss.com

Geolo Capital
Investor
Private Equity Real Estate
San Francisco, California
www.geolo.com

The Cypress Group
Investor
Private Equity Firm
New York, New York
www.cypressgp.com

Bojie Media is an advertising company specialized in selling advertisement in connection with the first 24/7 Movie Channel in China. Bojie offers marketers broad exposure with effective cost structure across blockbuster movie and less attractive movie programs

Ascend Capital Partners
Investor
Merchant Bank
Beijing, China
www.ascendvp.com.cn

Cryptic Studios, Inc. is a developer of massively-multiplayer online role playing games, with a reputation for delivering profitable, on-time, on-budget titles. Cryptic Studios developed the innovative and successful City of Heroes, as well as its subsequent expansion, City of Villains. Both titles garnered numerous awards from leading enthusiast press including GameSpy's Game of the Year award in 2004.

Atari
Company
Digital Media
Paris, France
www.atari.com

Buka Entertainment is a video game developer and publisher. Buka Entertainment was established in 1994 and is headquartered in Moscow, Russia.

1C Co.
Company
Software
Moscow, Russia
www.1c.ru

J2MSoft, Inc. is a developer of free-to-play online games which are monetized through micro-transactions and advertising.

Electronic Arts
Company
Digital Media
Redwood City, California
www.ea.com

HealthMedia, Inc. is a company that specializes in online health counseling and Web interventions. It combines its technology and behavioral science to emulate a health coach in a browser. The site's suite of services provides automated coaching for topics on wellness, disease management, behavioral health, and medication adherence that the company claims will help reduce health bills.

Johnson & Johnson
Company
Consumer Products
New Brunswick, New Jersey
www.jnj.com

Asiasoft is an online gaming and digital entertainment company that provides an established platform and expansive network for game developers in overseas expansion of online game services in Southeast Asia’s countries – the world’s fastest-growing regional games market. Asiasoft was founded in 2001 and is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lombard Investments, Inc.
Investor
Private Equity Firm
Daly City, California
www.lombardinvestments.com

Bigpoint GmbH is a publisher and developer of online games. Bigpoint.com is a gaming portal that offers a wide variety of high-quality online games.

GMT Communications Partners
Investor
Private Equity Firm
London, United Kingdom
www.gmtpartners.com

FreeStyleGames Ltd. is a video game developer specializing in music based games.

Activision Blizzard
Company
Digital Media
Santa Monica, California
www.activisionblizzard.com

Budcat Creations LLC is a video game developer. Budcat Creations is an award-winning development studio with expertise on the Wii home video game system and the Nintendo DS.

Activision Blizzard
Company
Digital Media
Santa Monica, California
www.activisionblizzard.com