What may be the first of several deals in coming months has seen the acquisition of Wave 2 by Miles 33.
Understood to be on the acquisition trail, Mike Moore's Bracknell, UK, based publishing systems business shares clients in common with Wave 2 Media Solutions, also based in the UK in the Buckinghamshire town of Whitchurch.
Wave 2 - whose web address perversely, is www.wav2.com - is best known for its automation and self-service advertising products with more than 50 publisher customers and an US office in Westborough, Massachusetts.
Users include Hearst, Gannett, Schibsted, AutoTrader, Johnston Press, D.C. Thomson, Politiken, Berlinske and Newsquest as well as APN, News Corp and Beacon Media in Australasia, and global brands Shell, Emirates and Kia.
Miles 33 has offices in Berkshire, England; Connecticut & California, USA; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Milan, Italy and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Wave 2 co-founder and managing director Chris Hodges will remain with the company to "assist with strategy and product integration", the company says.
"We are extremely excited with this deal as we become part of a larger company with a true global footprint," he says. "Miles 33 has an excellent reputation of nurturing the companies they acquire, adding security, stability and resource to fuel growth and innovation, qualities that all our existing customers and resellers will benefit from."
Wave 2's core rich media engine and creative platform powers a series of automation products which automate advertising production, deliver browser-based self-service sales, and power listings sites.
Miles 33 chief executive Moore says the two companies already have many customers in common to the extent that Miles 33 has integrated the Wave 2 platform into some of its solutions. "With the on-going changes in the global publishing markets, the boundaries between corporate publishing, newspaper, mobile and web publishing are blurring," he says. "Already our multichannel solutions power radio stations, TV stations, book publishers and corporate publishers as well as newspaper and magazine publishers. The Wave 2 acquisition is a perfect fit that will let us accelerate our growth into vertical market segments. Now, together with Wave 2, we can expand our offerings even further."
He told GXpress the acquisition would not be the last: "We're hoping for more in the future."
Pictured: Mike Moore (left) with Chris Hodges