News Corporation NWSA announced another round of investment in India as it acquired VCCircle Network, a provider of digital data, business information, training and conferences network for private equity, venture capital and entrepreneurs. VCCircle Network includes VCCircle.com, Techcircle.in, VCCEdge and VCCircle Training, and is owned by Mosaic Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. The terms of the deal, which is expected to conclude in March, were not revealed.
In Dec 2014, News Corporation acquired BigDecisions.Com, the provider of financial decision-making tools. The online platform that commenced in early 2013, caters to customers’ needs in the fields of health and life insurance, retirement planning, education of children, and purchasing and renting of real estate. However, the amount of the buyout – which also includes FinDirect Services Pvt Ltd., the website’s parent company – was not disclosed.
Prior to this, in November last year, News Corporation made a strategic move by investing in PropTiger.com, founded in 2011 in order to tap the burgeoning residential real estate market in India. The company acquired a 25% stake in Elara Technologies Pte Ltd, the parent company of this leading Indian digital real estate website, for approximately $30 million.
The Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corp. also holds a 61.6% stake in the digital real estate services company, REA Group Ltd., which operates a leading Australian residential property website. Of late, the company acquired Move Inc., which operates property listings websites in the United States, for $950 million.
The deal in discussion is also seen as part of the company’s endeavors to diversify its revenue streams and enhance its digital business globally. News Corp., which split from Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. FOXA, also offers e-books for devices sold by Amazon.com Inc. AMZN and Apple Inc. AAPL.
News Corporation’s diverse revenue streams hedge it against economic cycles. The company derives revenues from subscriptions, copy circulation, licensing and affiliate fees, direct sales, and advertising and sponsorships.
The company also remains well positioned to grab the opportunities generated from technology sharing across geographies and businesses, and bundle offerings of enriched content to its consumers and advertising partners. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is also focused on pursuing integrated strategies to take advantage of the transition to digital content from print.
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