News
VNU Shareholders request split
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that shareholders of VNU, the Dutch publishing and market research firm that owns "Photo District News" and IPN (the Independent Photography Network,) want to split up the company and sell it off in parts. The pressure comes in response to word of a possible bid for the entire company by a consortium of private-equity firms. The shareholders believe they can get a better deal by dividing the company's three divisions – publishing and trade-fair, marketing services, and media and entertainment industry research – and selling each separately.
For those of us in the stock photo industry, this inevitably leads to questions about what might happen to IPN, the on-line web-site service for small agencies and photographers. IPN would make a logical acquisition by several of the biggest players in the industry who have been on an acquisition tear for the last two years. Jupiter might have an interest in IPN because the IPN model fits well with the "on-line community" orientation of Jupiter's strategy. On the other hand, by acquiring iStockphoto, Getty has shown its (heretofore unexpressed) interest in alternative business models and may find IPN tempting as well. However, such deals might detract from the perceived independence of the Independent Photography Network.
Posted in: News, Stock Photo Companies
