MEDIA METRIX IN DEAL FOR JUPITER COMMUNICATIONS

By: Jennifer Owens Web Prognosticator Bought By Audience Tracker



(Adweek) Media Metrix, a New York-based Internet audience measurement firm, has agreed
to buy Jupiter Communications, a New York-based Internet analysis firm, for about $414
million in stock.



The deal, which consolidates two major players in Web research, provides for Jupiter
shareholders to receive 0.946 shares of Media Metrix stock for each Jupiter share. The
agreement, which requires shareholder approval, is expected to close within three months.



The combined company, to be called Jupiter Media Metrix, will have 730 employees and a
combined market value of more than $1 billion, the companies said.



Media Metrix chairman and CEO Tod Johnson will retain those titles after the merger. Gene
DeRose, chairman and CEO of Jupiter, will become president and vice chairman, while Mary
Ann Packo, president and COO of Media Metrix, and Kurt Abrahamson, president and COO of
Jupiter, will become co-COOs.



The company plans to maintain separate Media Metrix and Jupiter units, though Jupiter
analysts 'will stand by and support Media Metrix data as the standard,' said DeRose.



He expects the two companies operating in tandem to yield 'incremental benefits,' product
and brand-building opportunities, and cross-selling opportunities from the fact that just
200 of 1,700 clients are shared.



Without providing details, Johnson envisioned new cross-unit services as well as expansion
into Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom.



'What you can assume,' he said, 'is that Media Metrix comes into this transaction with the
skills and knowledge of how to build databases and measurement systems, and Jupiter comes
to this transaction with the skills of how to interpret and provide clients with timely,
useful advice. And together, those will lead to a broad array of products and services.'