Financial news
2009 was 'dismal' for top 25 with revenue down 3.1%, says Honomichl
US— The research industry’s top 25 agencies saw their 15-year run of growth come to an end last year, with total revenues for the group down 3.1% to $17.4bn.
Half-year turnover up 6% at Discovery Group
UK— Turnover at Discovery Group was up 6.5% to £1.46m in the first six months of 2010, while profits shot up 28% year-on-year to £175,000.
Web performance analytics firm Yottaa bags $4m in financing
US— Website performance analytics company Yottaa has closed its first round of funding, raising $4m from venture capital firms General Catalyst Partners, Stata Venture Partners and CambridgeWest Ventures.
Invoke Solutions raises $1.75m
US— Online and mobile research technology supplier Invoke Solutions has completed a $1.75m mixed-securities offering, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
WPP's insight division posts first-half revenue and profits increase
UK— Half-year revenue within WPP’s consumer insight division rose 2.4% on a like-for-like basis and accounted for more than a quarter of the group’s total revenue for the period, making it the second-best performing business division within the marketing services giant.
Fog descends on Visual IQ with $3m investment
US— Marketing intelligence software provider Visual IQ has secured a $3m investment from private equity house Fog City Capital.
Communispace posts 29% rise in first-half revenue
US— Online research community builder Communispace has reported a 29% increase in revenue for the first half of 2010 with sales hitting $22.5m, up from $17.4m in the same period last year.
Nielsen raises initial public offering target to $2bn
US— Nielsen has revised upwards the amount it hopes to raise through an initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to a regulatory filing.
GfK optimistic with sales up in Q2
GERMANY— GfK has posted ‘pleasing’ results for the second quarter, and increased forecasts for its full-year revenue growth.
Masmi backs MD Michalis Michael in DigitalMR agency launch
UK— Masmi has taken a stake in DigitalMR, a web-based research and consumer-listening agency founded by its managing director for Western Europe Michalis Michael.
Research performance eats away at PDI revenue and profit
US— Healthcare marketing services group PDI has posted an increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2010 and cut its operating loss for the period – despite lower revenue from its market research agency TVG.
Chartbeat gets $3m to support realtime analytics service
US— Chartbeat, the developer of a realtime website analytics service, has secured $3m in financing from a host of investors, led by Index Ventures. The company has been running for just over a year and customers include Time.com, the New York Times and Gawker Media.
Synovate buoyed by improving market, revenue up 6%
UK— Synovate returned to profitability in the first half of this year, parent company Aegis said today – hailing the turnaround as a key factor in an almost 20% rise in group underlying operating profit.
Chime research businesses see improvement
UK— Chime has posted improved results for its research division in the first half of this year, after a disappointing performance in 2009.
Photon posts falling annual revenue and an $87m loss
AUSTRALIA— Marketing services group Photon – owner of research agency The Leading Edge – has reported a 10% decline in revenue to A$587.3m and a loss of A$87.6m for the year ended 30 June.
CEO Till sees 'continued progress' as Harris cuts full-year losses
US— Harris Interactive has cut its losses drastically in fiscal 2010, according to results published yesterday. Annual revenue was down 9% to $168.4m, but operating loss was reduced to $523,000 from $56m the prior year while net loss was cut from $75.3m to $2.2m.
Revelry Brands plants stake in Data Garden
US— Investment firm Revelry Brands has bought a minority stake in Data Garden, a data analytics agency specialising in the natural foods market.
Photon looks to stock offering to raise A$102m for recapitalisation
AUSTRALIA— Marketing and communications agency Photon Group is looking to raise A$102.5m through a new stock offering to solve its recent money troubles.
iPerceptions sees Q2 revenues rise and losses reduced
CANADA— Web analytics agency iPerceptions increased its revenue while cutting its losses during the second quarter of 2010.
Q2 finds Gartner 'solidly back on track' says CEO
US— IT market research specialist Gartner is “solidly back on track”, according to CEO Gene Hall, with second quarter revenues up 16% to $314.2m and net income up 17% to $20.1m.
Rentrak media data business up 132%, helped by EDI acquisition
US— Nary a week goes by without news of a TV measurement contract win for Rentrak, so little surprise then that its Advanced Media Information (AMI) division has seen revenues rise 132% for the three months ended 30 June.
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Online targeting data marketplace secures $15m in venture capital backing
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YouGov in line with 2010 expectations after strong second half
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Incite posts 31% increase in annual turnover to £7.4m
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Forrester Research celebrates "robust" Q2 and raises full-year expectations
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Workstreamer scores $3.5m investment for business listening platform
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'Steady' start to 2010 for Datamonitor, says Informa
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Ebiquity reports rise in revenue and a raft of international acquisitions
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PDI to close TVG healthcare market research business
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Investors pump $30m into social business software firm Jive
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First-half revenue up 48%, says BrainJuicer trading update
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Kadence beats recession with revenue up 10%
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Q1 momentum carries over into Q2 – Nielsen reports revenue up 7%
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ComScore posts record quarterly revenue, but costs drive profits down
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Ipsos reports growth across the board with first-half revenue up 18%
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Research spend down 7% to £27m at COI
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Creston sees first quarter improvement after DLKW disposal
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Cello sees return of like-for-like income growth in research business
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Second quarter revenue and profits improve for Arbitron
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Investors pump $6m into Komli Media
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CPG specialist InsightsNow posts 54% rise in annual revenue