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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  • Chapbass - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    I'm going to really miss my daily dose of Jason Mick sensationalist media. Actually browsing to dailytech is sacrilege.
  • jjj - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    More news would be good since the news coverage is spotty and arbitrary.
    And maybe nobody asked for a favorable review because pretty much all were favorable lol.Anandtech has been afraid to point out the negatives for years. A review should hunt for positives and negatives and have a neutral tone not try to find excuses and hope. It got slightly better lately though, maybe this change helps further but i don't dare to dream that you guys will review retail products not samples or that you won't allow others to pay fro your trips. When you review samples there is an increased risk of not being accurate and you end up reviewing what you can get not what you should.. A17, A53 cores are out there and don't think you guys took a look at those yet, isn't that just crazy? Xiami is the 3rd smartphone maker and very likely to grow a lot more, the Redmi 1S has been one of the best selling devices of the year,yet Anandtech never reviewed any of it's products.You've reviewed one Mediatek device in your entire history, yet they shipped some 350 mil smartphone SoCs this year. On the other hand i'll bet we are about to get a Snapdragon 810 preview since they are on a marketing offensive and you guys publish based on what you can get your hands on for free.Buying from retail (does anyone besides Consumer Reports does that anymore?) , not signing NDAs would allow you to review and report what matters not what you are being fed.
  • anandreader106 - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    DailyTech is gone? YES!!! I fucking hated that site!

    Note: This is the first time I've ever cursed in a comment. I couldn't figure out another way to express my excitement with an expletive.
  • JonnyDough - Sunday, December 28, 2014 - link

    I hated DT as well. Sensationalism has no place amongst IT intellectuals. I ended up just coming here and to Tom's for GPU/CPU updates and that's about it. Trying to stay on top of the changing hardware landscape is tough enough without having to sort through all sorts of filth.
  • sonicmerlin - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Why is DT gone again?
  • DanNeely - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    I haven't seen anything official; but their over all quality is much lower and more tabloidy than Anandtech's. At the same time DT has been trying to build a presence doing feature length articles meaning that the sites are becoming competitors instead of looking at different market segments.

    The real question if if Anandtech will be expanding sidebar content to fill the gap or linking to Toms/Laptopmag instead.
  • B3an - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Because it's shit and sensationalist?

    It's great that it's no longer on AT. It never belonged on here.
  • FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    Contradicted Fox News too much. :)
  • soccerballtux - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    we're not worried about your journalistic integrity, we're worried about your journalistic integrity not fitting in anymore causing you to leave :(
  • V3ctorPT - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    I just don't want to loose the quality you guys put at this site... I stopped going to Toms aloong time ago, around 2002 or 2003. It was my regular site, than it became full of ads, the page is messy... I can't like the site...
    I don't want Anandtech (to me the best site on reviews) to go away... And I really hope you don't transform into TH, I really do.

    Anyway, good work for all these years... I just hope you guys stay on top.

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