News Corporation to acquire IGN Entertainment

Televisionpoint.com Team
News Corporation has announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire IGN Entertainment, Inc, a leading community-based Internet media and services company for video games and other forms of digital entertainment, for approximately $650 million in cash. IGN and its network of sites will become part of News Corporation’s Fox Interactive Media unit.

The acquisition of IGN underscores News Corporation’s commitment to expand its internet presence by offering a deeper, richer online experience for its millions of passionate users. News Corporation previously announced, and is in the process of closing, its acquisitions of Intermix, with its highly popular MySpace.com web site, and leading college sports destination Scout Media, which will further enrich the Company’s successful FOXSports.com.

With the addition of IGN, Intermix and Scout Media to the existing Fox-branded sites, News Corporation’s U.S. web traffic will increase to nearly 70 million unique monthly users and more than 12 billion page impressions per month, putting the Company in the top echelon of most trafficked sites on the Internet today. The combined sites will also provide a powerful cross-promotional opportunity for Fox’s television and film content and enable the company to more efficiently introduce new products and services using its enhanced web presence.

IGN’s major video game-related properties include IGN.com, GameSpy, GameSpy Arena, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, 3D Gamers, Direct2Drive, GameStats.com and a number of web sites within the Vault and Planet networks. IGN also owns and operates two entertainment web properties focused on movie-related content, IGN FilmForce and Rotten Tomatoes, and a male lifestyle web site, AskMen.com. In addition, it provides technology for online game play in video games.

Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "With the acquisition of IGN and its 28 million unique users, we have gone a long way toward achieving two of our key strategic objectives in our efforts to become a leading and profitable internet presence. First, we have significantly enhanced our online reach, strengthening our position as the fifth most trafficked presence on the web."

"We also become the fourth largest network in terms of monthly page impressions. And second, we have furthered our strategy to leverage the unique competencies the company enjoys with its news, sports, and entertainment assets to create a leading internet destination. By acquiring IGN and its compelling sites, we now have top entertainment sites to go along with FOXSports.com, as well as our myriad news sites, headlined by FOXNews.com." Murdoch added.

Mark Jung, IGN Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We believe that Fox Interactive Media is an ideal fit with IGN Entertainment. With this combination, our users will enjoy access to a broad array of content and services covering video games, music, movies, sports and news, and our advertisers will benefit from enormous reach into a highly sought-after demographic. We are thrilled with this acquisition and can’t wait to get started."

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2005. The transaction is subject to all applicable regulatory approvals. IGN’s chief executive officer, Mark Jung, will continue in his role following the completion of the acquisition. Mr. Jung will report to Ross Levinsohn, President of Fox Interactive Media.