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international communications service group, WWP will be nvesting $25 million in AppNexus. The communication group will also inject the industry’s second- largest publisher ad server platform (formerly part of Xaxis, its wholly-owned global programmatic media and technology platform) into the deal.
The transaction is still awaiting approval from the regulators and customary closing which is expected to take place by the end of the year. The New York- based AppNexus has net revenues that are significantly above $100 million and is currently valued at $1.2 billion. AppNexus’ platform allows real time buying and selling of digital advertising for marketers, publishers and content providers and media investment management companies, including Xaxis and its parent GroupM, the WPP-owned media investment management company that oversees $105 billion in client billings, according to RECMA.
Xaxis is contributing its “Xaxis For Publishers” (XFP) business to AppNexus (formerly Open Adstream). The technology was one of several acquired by WPP as part of the 24/7 Real Media acquisition and is the second largest publisher ad server platform in the world. The staff of XFP will join AppNexus. Xaxis will continue to develop its own robust proprietary platform including its Turbine DMP, analytics suite, and reporting and optimization technology.
By taking a greater stake in AppNexus, WPP further cements its leadership position in ad tech and programmatic targeting and supports an independent ad tech ecosystem that is of more value to clients than the “walled garden” solutions offered by AppNexus’ competitors, the largest of which are also media companies.
WPP’s digital revenues exceeded $6 billion in 2013, amounting to about 35 percent of the Group’s total revenues of $17.3 billion. WPP has set a target of 40-45 percent of revenue to be derived from digital in the next five years. Xaxis directs more than $750 million of audience-targeted media buys across 33 markets in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America and manages over two trillion impressions annually.
