Light Reading Sold to Informa

Market research, events and publishing company Light Reading has been acquired by London-based business information and events group Informa for an undisclosed sum.

Light Reading, which was launched in 2000, provides research and advisory services via its MR division Heavy Reading, while also producing online publications, webinars and live events. In 2005, the company was acquired by UBM business unit CMP Media; and in 2014 it was bought back by its co-founder Stephen Saunders (pictured).

As part of the latest deal, the Light Reading and Heavy Reading teams will report to Andrew Mullins, CEO of Informa's Knowledge & Networking Division, which currently consists of a portfolio of specialist content, data products and high quality confexes in several key verticals, including TMT (technology, media and telecoms). The teams will also partner with Patrick Martell, CEO of Informa's Business Intelligence market research and analysis division.

Saunders says he will be staying with Light Reading for the foreseeable future. In a blog post, he explained: 'After an exhaustive search, I was finally able to identify an acquirer capable of working with the Light Reading and Heavy Reading teams to propel us on the next stage of our next-gen comms mission. With Informa's help we now start the next phase in our mission. And this time, we do it in the certainty that we are now, finally, at long last, in the hands of a company that is committed to helping us live long and prosper'.

Web sites: www.lightreading.com and www.informa.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.