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.
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[1] Source: comScore U.S. Media Metrix, Tech-News category ranking by unique visitors, PC audience, September 2014
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ET - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Innocent until proven guilty? That's not the internet way!Stuka87 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
People like you that block the Ads are part of the reason AnandTech was not profitable enough to stay independent. If you truly cared about this site and enjoyed it, you would turn off the stupid add block software.StevoLincolnite - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
You imply that Anandtech has the right to advertising revenue from it's audience.News flash: It's not.
There have been multiple instances when Anandtech and Dailytech's advert delivery systems had been infected by malicious maleware/greyware/spyware/virus/other nasties, which was in-turn passed onto users who did not block adverts.
It is simply safer to block adverts.
Internet is faster if you block adverts.
You save money with internet caps you block adverts.
You save even more money if with power consumption if you block adverts.
Personally, I only visited Anandtech for Dailytech.
And I only visited Dailytech for Anandtech.
Thus I will now visit neither.
Kristian Vättö - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
You can't have your cake and eat it. If everyone shared your view on this, there would be no free content on the Internet (or all free content would be sponsored content i.e. native advertisements). AnandTech isn't a special business that runs on fairy powder, and neither do us editors. Just like in any other business money is needed to pay salaries and other expenses to keep the firm operating.We have never run malicious or disturbing ads on purpose and as soon as we have gotten the heads up the ad has been taken down.
FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Here's the problem: some of us have never, and never will, click an advert site. Too many nasties be there. Unless, of course, you've got an advert pusher who gets paid just for the fact of display. And that isn't any different from the newspaper model; and we know what's happened there. Those who choose to block ads do so because they've no intention of going down that rabbit hole. Both you and the advert pusher have, in fact, lost nothing.Kristian Vättö - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
Even the view helps us financially. From the about page:"Success in our advertising campaigns is measured by both the number of times an ad is loaded/viewed and the number of clicks an ad receives. Even if you have no intentions of clicking on an ad, the view itself helps support AnandTech."
So yes, even if you have zero intention of clicking an ad, you can support us by whitelisting AnandTech in your adblocker.
FlyTexas - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
That is fine that you take the ad down, but you also have to (or should have to) pay damages to anyone infected.Does the ad income provide enough of a cushion to do that? If not, then you shouldn't be running the adds.
You are responsible for everything on your site, including the ads. Until web sites start compensating victims for malware from ads, I'll continue to block them.
stadisticado - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link
I could understand your perspective if you paid to Anandtech to view their website directly and then malicious code struck your computer within their 'paid' walled garden. On the free internet, I'd consider a better analogy to be if a roadside political poster or a sign spinner struck your car with their sign by accident. In those cases, the sign installer or sign spinner might be liable for striking your car, but not the object of the advertisement.In the same way, ad-serving companies are at fault for malicious ads. Not the website or metaphorical roadway where you're struck by them.
FlyTexas - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
I see your point, but in this case, the sign installer or sign spinner was picked by the political poster and is paid by the spinner.There is a financial relationship, so AT has a duty of care that they don't pick sign spinners that cause harm.
If a business hires a sign spinner and the spinner damages your car, rest assured the business is liable.
StevoLincolnite - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link
Who says I want my content free?Anandtech has never given me a choice on the matter.
You may not have intentionally ran the questionable advertising, you may not have intended for your viewers to loose their time and money.
But the fact is... It did happen, multiple times. Do not expect for users to reciprocate and leave themselves vulnerable.
This is where capitalism, which I am a big proponent of, comes into play.
If you run a business model that relies on advertising revenue... And that revenue enters into decline, then you need to adapt and change and look towards other business models for growth... Or fall into obscurity.
This is where innovation and out-side-of-the-box thinking can change the landscape dramatically.
Again, you are not entitled to our advertising revenue, in-fact you lost my trust years ago in that regard.
And I ask everyone to block adverts, the internet is a faster, safer and better place without them.