New York-based content discovery platform and native ad giant Outbrain has announced it is acquiring Cologne, Germany company Ligatus, a fully owned subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr (a Bertelsmann group company) in a stock deal. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.
Ligatus is also a leading native ad solutions company with a major presence in mainland Europe. The company has offices Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Gruner + Jahr CEO Julia Jaekel pointed out this is “a very positive development for premium publishers looking to engage loyal users, increase revenues and ensure a high-quality user experience.” As part of the deal, Gruner + Jahr’s chief digital officer Arne Wolter is joining the board of directors at Outbrain.
And Ligatus connects publishers and advertisers with non-intrusive native ad placements that leverage a mobile-first native ad solution for marketers to build awareness and engagement. At the time of the acquisition, Litagus was delivering more than 36 billion contextual ad impressions per month.
“The acquisition of Ligatus is part of our market consolidation strategy and will allow us to expand our native offering to marketers and strengthen the relationship with our publisher partners,” said Outbrain co-CEO David Kostman in a statement. “By combining the sophisticated native advertising offering of Ligatus with Outbrain’s strong targeting technology and reach, the benefit for marketers, publishers and users will be a trustworthy feed of discovery that is powered with a strong underlying, non-interruptive advertising experience.”
And by combining forces with Litagus, Outbrain said it will expand and strengthen its position in Europe with more than 1,400 premium publishers like STERN, RTL and Femme Actuelle.
“We are excited to join ranks with Outbrain in order to create a true native advertising powerhouse,” added Ligatus CEO Klaus Ludemann. “This combination will create a win-win for our publishers and advertising partners by leveraging the combined strengths of our teams.”
Last year, Outbrain also acquired UI optimization company AdNgin. And the company acquired demand-side platform company Zemanta in 2017.
