The next time you check your internet speed or your favorite site is down, another company may have an advantage. On Tuesday, Ziff Davis announced that it has sold its connectivity division, which includes Ookla’s SpeedTest and DownDetector, to Accenture. The deal is worth $1.2 billion in cash.
according to reutersThe deal will allow Ziff Davis to focus on its core brands, which include ign, Mashable And everyday health. It appears that brand consolidation is the name of the game, as the company has recently removed some eurogamer’s most experienced editors and its entire video team. This led to less editorial staff rotation among Ziff Davis’ other gaming publications. vg247 On a small, two-person gaming guide site.
Ziff Davis purchased Ookla in 2014 for $15 million. reuters Notes that the division has seized on the 5G rollout and pandemic-driven increase in bandwidth demand to boost its impressive returns on investment. (Connectivity hits a whopping $231 million by 2025.)
Accenture is a global technology consulting company headquartered in Dublin. The company sees this acquisition as an important step in building “the end-to-end network intelligence services needed for AI-based transformation.” (Can someone speaking corporate speak please translate?) It may take a few months to finalize the deal, and in the meantime Ziff Davis will continue to operate Speedtest and DownDetector.
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