Television advertising technology provider Cadent has paid an undisclosed amount to acquire 4Info, a US-based TV advertising analytics provider backed by diversified conglomerate Mitsui and media group Gannett.
Founded in 2004, 4Info has created an analytics system that maps television and over-the-top video use per household, enabling advertisers to get a more detailed picture of their potential audience and prevent duplication in their targeting.
Cadent chief executive Nick Troiano said: “Viewers are engaging with premium TV across more devices and services than ever before. In response, advertisers and agencies require a unified view of their TV campaigns to get the clearest picture of brand reach and engagement.
“The integration of the 4Info household graph and its OTT capabilities with the Cadent Advanced TV Platform creates the industry’s only unified platform for all forms of data-driven television – cable, broadcast, addressable [set-top box], OTT and connected devices – at true national scale.”
The company had raised more than $70m according to media reports and securities filings, most recently securing in an $8m round in 2013 that was led by venture capital firm Vulcan Capital and backed by Gannet, DFJ, Mezzanine Capital and US Venture Partners (USVP).
Gannett had joined Mitsui’s Global Investment unit, DFJ, Vulcan Capital and USVP in a $14m round in 2011, two years after 4Info got $20m from Peacock Equity – the VC partnership between corporates General Electric and NBC Universal – as well as USVP, DFJ, Selby Ventures and Sand Hill Partners.
Peacock Equity had already invested $2.5m in the company in October 2007, four months after it closed a $10m series D round led by Gannett that also featured USVP, DFJ and Sand Hill Capital. It had reportedly raised $8m in a DFJ and USVP-backed round two years earlier.
