The buying and selling of newsletter and directory companies moderated in 2005 following a relatively strong 2004, reports merger and acquisition advisory firm Whitestone Communications.
As Whitestone noted in an earlier report during 2004, the firm believes that the reduced deal activity reflects that there are fewer newsletter publishers available for acquisition, not a lack of interest in acquiring such businesses.
Whitestone believes that newsletter publishers are moving outside the newsletter field to do acquisitions-deals that are not included in its newsletter category.
Among the most active buyers in the newsletter field in 2005 was Eli Research, which acquired computer and software newsletter groups from Element K and Mosaic Media, as well as the technical research report firm Business Communications Company.
From The Newsletter on Newsletters, March 2006
