• WEBEDIA acquires jeuxvideo.com, ranked 1st in France and 3rd in the world in its sector for 90 euro million and completes its portfolio of leader thematic sites in the entertainment field
  • HIMEDIA GROUP ends its strategic refocusing on advertising and digital payments and has additional financial means to quicken its development
  • HIMEDIA becomes WEBEDIA's partner on the marketing of part of its digital spaces in Europe

Paris, June 5 2014, 6 PM - Online media group HIMEDIA GROUP (ISIN Code FR0000075988 - HIM, HIM.FR) and WEBEDIA, leader Media Group specialized in entertainment, announce today that they signed two major agreements. 

WEBEDIA ACQUIRES JEUXVIDEO.COM FOR 90 EURO MILLION

HIMEDIA GROUP signed an agreement with WEBEDIA about the sale of the 88% it owned in L'Odysée Interactive, jeuxvideo.com's publisher. WEBEDIA acquires 100% of the capital for 90 euro million in cash.

This core asset's sale provides HIMEDIA GROUP with the opportunity to complete its refocusing on advertising and digital payments activities and offers additional financial means to quicken its development on these two segments.

Acquired in 2006 by HIMEDIA GROUP, jeuxvideo.com became the reference French-speaking site in the gaming universe with nearly 6 million unique visitors a month in 2013 (source: Panels).

By entering the group WEBEDIA, jeuxvideo.com will benefit from the technical resources and the group's publishing's expertise allowing the site to further its development. Jeuxvideo.com's team of 40 persons will join the publisher and will keep on producing the high-quality content that made the site popular within the gaming community.

After the celebrities, the cinema and the cookery, WEBEDIA becomes a leader in the video games sector, the entertainment segment that posts the strongest growth both regarding the users and the advertising market.

Thanks to this acquisition, WEBEDIA will record in total more than 21 million unique visitors in France and more 50 million in the world (source: PANELS).

Furthermore, WEBEDIA also becomes the leader on the young target group with 40% coverage over the 12 to 24 year-old people.

HIMEDIA BECOMES WEBEDIA'S PARTNER IN DIGITAL ADVERTISING

WEBEDIA chose HiMedia as preferred partner to market the group's digital advertising spaces in Europe.

This agreement focuses on the whole WEBEDIA sites, whose brands will benefit from HiMedia technological and data expertise within its different offers Adexchange.com (real time display market place / RTB), Mobvious (mobile advertising) and Fullscreen (online video advertising).

With this new agreement, HiMedia contributes to the consolidation of the online advertising market and keeps on establishing its leadership on the online advertising market.

Cyril Zimmermann, CEO and Founder of HiMedia Group: "The agreements signed with WEBEDIA will provide jeuxvideo.com with the opportunity to further its tremendous adventure and HiMedia Group to quicken its development in the strategic sectors of advertising and digital payments on which we are particularly well positioned. I am very happy about this partnership with Webedia, which should allow us to make a very good use of our respective know-how and grow together in the next few years."

According to Véronique Morali, President of Webedia's board of directors: "This acquisition represents a new significant step in the building of a leader within the online infotainment. Like Allociné, jeuxvideo.com is a French internet gem. We will further and accelerate its development and its internationalization which have always been part of our strategy."

About Webedia

Founded in 2008, Webedia group joined in May 2013 the French investment company Fimalac managed by Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière. With about fifteen websites (Allociné, PurePeople, Newsring.) and recording more than 3 million visits a day and 18.5 million unique visitors a month in France, Webedia is aiming to become the online entertainment leader.
More information on: www.webedia.fr:
http://www.webedia.fr/

About HiMedia Group

HiMedia Group guides advertisers, publishers and retailers on the development of their digital strategies. Operating in two business areas, digital advertising - HiMedia - and online payment - HiPay, its experts offer the solutions that are best adapted to boosting clients revenues.

Established in 8 European countries, the group employs approximately 470 people and generated  sales of €185 million in 2013. Independent since its creation, the company is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C and is included in the CAC Small, CAC-All Tradable and CAC-PME indices.
Code ISIN: FR 0000075988 / Mnémo: HIM.

More information on www.hi-media.com and on our blog http://blog.hi-media.com/:
http://blog.hi-media.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HiMediaGroup:
https://www.facebook.com/HiMediaGroup
Follow us on Twitter: @himedia
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/himediagroup:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/himediagroup
Next financial communication: First-Half year results 2014 published on the 30th of July before market opening.

Contacts Citigate Dewe Rogerson  

Agnès Villeret (Investors Relations)
0033 (0)1 53 32 78 95 - 0033 (0)6 66 58 82 61
agnes.villeret@citigate.fr
Audrey Berladyn (Press) 
0033 (0)1 53 32 84 76 - 0033 (0)6 68 52 14 09
audrey.berladyn@citigate.fr

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy Hi-Media shares. If you wish to obtain more complete information about Hi-Media, please refer to our Internet site http://www.hi-media.com under the Corporate Information heading.
This press release may contain some forward-looking statements. Although Hi-Media considers that these statements are based on reasonable hypotheses on the publication date of this release, they are by their very nature subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ from those indicated or projected in these statements. Hi-Media operates in a continually changing environment and new risks could potentially emerge. Hi-Media assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or other circumstances.

HI-MEDIA: AGREEMENTS BETWEEN HIMEDIA GROUP AND WEBEDIA:
http://hugin.info/143474/R/1791131/615991.pdf



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The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: HI-MEDIA via Globenewswire

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