Purch Acquires AnandTech, Dominates Tech Expert and Enthusiast Market

Leading content and commerce company adds respected mobile, computing, and IT reviews site to its brand portfolio

NEW YORK, NY (December 17, 2014) – Purch today announced the acquisition of AnandTech.com, a leader in mobile, computing and IT analysis and reviews. Purch’s industry-leading combination of high-quality content and integrated commerce experiences makes complex buying decisions easy for more than 100 million consumers and professionals monthly. With the acquisition of AnandTech, Purch furthers its mission to simplify purchase decisions for in-market tech consumers by adding one of the most popular computer components, hardware, and mobile reviews sites to a brand portfolio that already includes category heavyweight, Tom’s Hardware.

AnandTech has been at the forefront of the technological evolution, providing groundbreaking reviews and trend coverage of cutting-edge mobile and computing products since Anand Shimpi, one of the tech industry’s most authoritative and respected figures, founded it in 1997 at age 14.

“AnandTech has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years, but we were nearing what’s possible as an independent company,” said Ryan Smith, editor-in-chief, AnandTech. “The challenge has always been that there are very few players in the publishing space these days who value deep, high-quality content. We wanted a partner that understood our values, had a sound business model to ensure AnandTech’s legacy would continue for years to come, and would allow us to grow and expand our readership without compromising the quality that made us who were are today. Purch provides all of these things. I am beyond excited about what we’ll be able to do with their support.”

“The addition of AnandTech to a brand portfolio that includes Tom’s Hardware, Tom’s Guide, and Top Ten Reviews unquestionably establishes Purch as the dominant provider of in-depth, quality technology content, serving technology buyers who want to ensure the value of their potential investments,” said Greg Mason, CEO, Purch. “Technology manufacturers, too, can be assured that their messages will reach any serious buyer. The two editorial teams represent the finest, most expert group of content talent in the technology space. ”

“AnandTech represents much of my life’s work over the past 18 years,” said Anand Shimpi, founder, AnandTech. “I am happy to see it end up with a partner committed to taking good care of the brand and its readers. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Purch offers brands and advertisers unmatched reach to tens of millions of discerning in-market tech consumers and professionals each month. These tech “enthusiasts” look to the kind of detailed research, benchmark testing, and advice from category experts during their buying process for which Tom’s Hardware and AnandTech are known. Readers trust that advice because it is backed by nearly two decades of testing every mobile and PC component imaginable, and is supported by unprecedented input and guidance from the biggest, passionate community of like-minded enthusiasts.

Purch’s acquisition of AnandTech is the company’s most recent move in a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships aimed at furthering its mission to ease complex buying decisions for shoppers and deliver branding and performance results to advertisers. In 2013, the company acquired the renowned “Tom’s” brand of tech media sites and, earlier this year, purchased BuyerZone, the leading online marketplace for SMB buyers and sellers. Purch’s ability to trigger buying decisions in an array of product categories is evidenced by the more than 7,000 marketers and sellers that come to Purch to connect with ready-to-buy consumers. Each year, Purch’s content-commerce combination drives more than one billion dollars in commerce transactions.

In addition to the acquisition, Purch is now the number one technology publisher in the U.S., [1] with a global readership of more than 100 million monthly unique visitors.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

To find out more about Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

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About Purch

Purch is a portfolio of digital brands and services that helps make complex buying decisions easy for 100 million consumers monthly. Its respected sites such as Top Ten Reviews, Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware, and Live Science natively integrate commerce and content in more than 1000 product categories so consumers can make better choices before, during, and after an important purchase.

The company helps marketers achieve their branding and performance objectives in a high-quality, brand-safe context. Its sites connect in-market shoppers with more than 7,000 marketers and sellers, driving industry-leading conversion rates and $1 billion in commerce transactions annually.

Purch is a high-growth, privately held company with more than 350 employees and offices across the U.S. and Europe.

For more information on Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

[1] Source: comScore U.S. Media Metrix, Tech-News category ranking by unique visitors, PC audience, September 2014

AnandTech Acquired By Purch
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  • alfredska - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    You may not have a choice in the matter.
  • FlyTexas - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    You might not have "sold out", but if you think that things will continue as-is, I have a bridge to sell you.

    It might take 6 months, it might be a year, but when a new AMD or nVidia card comes out, do you really think the new owners want to pay two teams to run what is really the same tests?

    You might write different articles, but don't be shocked when the testing side gets combined and when results start being shared.
  • ddriver - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    ""Sold out" implies compromising ones morals or ethics"

    True, AT sold out a long time ago, now it just got sold :) Sorry to be that guy to speak the inconvenient and harsh truth, but AT has long abandoned the path of an objective hardware review website to become yet another beacon of consumerism preachment to impressionable chumps.
  • ddriver - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    And hey, I don't say that as if it is something exceptionally bad, selling out is like the norm, sure it is bad... but it is NORMAL :) Sadly...
  • JonnyDough - Sunday, December 28, 2014 - link

    You obviously don't read Tom's. Ryan how long do you think you'll be working for Anandtech now? I wouldn't give you a year.
  • eanazag - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Anandtech is damn near my home page. I appreciated the independence. The ads are healthy. I have been a reader somewhere since 2007-2009. I miss Anand. I can understand he likely had no personal life with running the show here. His departure worried me a little. Over time I will say his absence is noticeable on the content. Although the site is still the best around. I never click ads on any site. I did here on occasion. Could there be some welcome tweaks to the site? Yes. Be very careful with them though. I have never cared for Tom's hardware. I have read a handful of articles there over the years. I prefer to read here. I did notice the AMD Omega drivers memo being late. I'm okay with that because I have been able to count on the insight at AT to be more valuable than a straight up news release that I can read at a corporate newsroom page.

    AT has been great listeners and responsive to readers over the years. I hope that continues. It is a little more sad news today. Hopefully my concern is unwarranted.
  • soccerballtux - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    similar sentiments, where else is there to go for quality reviewing?
  • agoyal - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    I have been reading Anandtech regularly since 1999. Tomshardware quality deteriorated very rapidly after it got acquired, I rerely ever go to that site anymore. For the past 1-2 years the number of reviews at Anandtech have been slowly declining, I don't know how to put it but the site is becoming "dull". With Anand leaving and now this...I don't have much hope but would love to be proven wrong.
  • Mr Perfect - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    I think part of the slowness is down to the industry itself. Back in the day, CPUs, GPUs and later even SSDs came out fast and furious with almost yearly process shrinks pushing them along. Remember when GPUs refreshed every six months? These days it's big news when a 15% faster CPU comes out or someone manages to buildt a faster GPU on a three year old process node without inadvertently creating a space heater.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

    And with process nodes getting ever more complex to develop, I'm not sure what's next. The reason mobile is important is that it's faster growth (in numbers and relative performance). I can use a variety of laptops and desktops and think they're all "fast enough", but when I hop on my Nexus 5 there are a lot of things that are far slower than I'd like. Rendering web pages is a prime example, but loading simple games takes FOREVER at times (hello PvZ2).

    I want my phone to feel as fast as a moderate laptop, and while we're getting closer it's still nowhere near close. That TDP discrepancy is hard to overcome of course, but if software requirements don't bloat much, maybe by the time we're in single digit process technology I will finally have a phone that doesn't make me grumble every time I surf the web.

    Also, I need newer and better eyes, because at 41 my smartphone is not really enjoyable for reading content. Yes, that 27" to 30" desktop display is far more to my liking.... When can I upgrade my eyes (with no risk of going blind)? :-)

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