ProSiebenSat. acquires Verivox consumer portal

ProSiebenSat.1 acquires Verivox consumer portal

Munich, June 26, 2015 - ProSiebenSat.1 is further strengthening its strategic eCommerce business through its 7Commerce subsidiary by acquiring a majority stake in Verivox, Germanys largest independent consumer portal for energy. With this largest digital acquisition to date, ProSiebenSat.1 is expanding its activities in the fast-growing segment of comparison portals. ProSiebenSat.1 is acquiring 80 percent of the shares in Verivox for a purchase price of around EUR 170 million. On top of this comes a variable purchase price component, the amount of which is subject to the operating profit of Verivox in the year of 2015. This amounts to a maximum of EUR 40 million. The former owners under the leadership of Oakley Capital will continue to hold a minority interest in the company. The acquisition is subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office.

Christian Wegner, Member of the Executive Board, Digital, ProSiebenSat.1 Group: Verivox has outstanding growth potential and is a highly attractive brand. In recent years, the company has invested heavily in the expansion of its comparison services and now has a comprehensive portfolio which, in addition to energy, includes the telecommunication, insurance, and financial service segments. In the years ahead we will draw upon the marketing power of our TV stations to establish Verivox as a leading portal in this segment.

Mark Joseph, Partner of Oakley Capital Private Equity: We would like to thank Chris hlund and the Verivox management team for their impressive performance in recent years and we look forward to working with ProSiebenSat.1 and management to further accelerate the dynamic development of Verivox in future.

Chris hlund, CEO of the Verivox Group: We are very pleased to have found a strong new partner and owner with ProSiebenSat.1. Jointly, we will work together to further accelerate the growth of Verivoxs unique consumer proposition by deploying ProSiebenSat.1 media power. This will aid our efforts to increase awareness of our new business segments in car insurance, telecommunications and preferential online credits offers. Additionally, our market leading energy comparison service will now be made aware to more consumers who will directly benefit by their opportunity to save money for free.

Development of the new online comparison portal vertical

By acquiring a stake in Verivox, 7Commerce is laying the foundation for intensified activities in the field of comparison portals. Preis24.de will be a part of this area in addition to Verivox. In March of this year, 7Commerce acquired an 85% majority stake in Preis24.de, the leading deal platform for cell phone rates and smartphones. Both Verivox and Preis24 are now part of this new vertical.

About 7Commerce

As a 100% subsidiary 7Commerce is the strategic investment arm of ProSiebenSat.1 Group, one of Europes leading media companies and Germanys biggest TV network. The ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary bundles its strategic commerce activities in verticals to stimulate synergies and exchanges between the holdings. With the House of Travel, which encompasses weg.de, tropo, reise.com, ferien.de, billiger-mietwagen, wetter.com, and the mydays experience specialist, ProSiebenSat.1 has already formed a vertical in which a variety of different user interests are intertwined. Analogous to this example, additional verticals are being developed, e.g. in the segment Fashion & Accessories.

About Verivox

Verivox GmbH was founded in Heidelberg in 1998 and is Germanys largest independent consumer portal for energy. In addition, Verivox offers online comparisons for telecommunication, insurance and finance products as well as a search engine for commission-free real estate properties and pre-owned automobiles. Verivox has successfully helped more than 7.5 million households switch their utility providers with consumer savings in excess of 1 billion.

About Oakley Capital Private Equity L.P. and Oakley Capital Private Equity II

Oakley Capital Private Equity L.P. and its successor fund, Oakley Private Equity II, are both unlisted mid-market private equity funds with the aim of providing investors with significant long term capital appreciation. The investment strategy of both funds is to focus on buy-out opportunities in industries with the potential for growth, consolidation and performance improvement. Both funds seek to invest in companies with scale in their industry subsectors, thereby creating a sustainable earnings stream which should command a premium on exit.

LINK:	http://en.prosiebensat1.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/press-lounge/pr...
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