August can be a very quiet month but that doesn’t seem to have been the case so far this year.
We’ve already had two acquisitions; leading UK digital network owner Ocean Outdoor acquiring fellow network owner Signature Outdoor [1] (an inspired acquisition if I may so so) and German display manufacturer eyevis acquiring a software company [2] of little importance, and yet the month has only just begun!!!
Here’s what we expect to happen in August…
- The new RMG Networks CEO [3] Bob Michelson has no choice but to hit the ground running. We expect him to stop the bleeding (people and revenues), make decisions on what the company will be, and stands for going forward (that may be a tough one) and make more tough decisions (tough for him, it’s a no-brainer for us) on whether their alleged license deal with Intel for the use of the latter’s #RCM goes ahead as planned (we hear, to likely be announced in October / November with a planned big splash at #dse2015 – hence the two booths reserved on the DSE show floor [4]).
- NEC Display Solutions in Itasca, IL are leaderless since the mid-June departure of [5] Pierre Richer. Bernd Eberhardt, President and CEO of NEC Display Solutions Europe, has been in charge of North and South America on an interim basis since that time. Again, the new leader has some tough decisions to make. We’d expect some cutbacks and a possible general slimming down of NEC as they figure out how to better compete with Samsung et al
- VUKUNET, which was pretty much Pierre’s baby also now needs a new owner. VUKUNET has had some success in traditional digital out of home in Europe thanks to the efforts of another German, Dirk Huelsermann but despite the best efforts of many has gained little or no traction in North America. If I were an existing customer I’d be asking questions as to the product’s future. I am sure it’s safe BUT I would want to know who is now in (ultimate) charge and where it’s going. It is after all the last of the credible aggregators (the likes of Adcentricity, SeeSaw etc having long gone)
- And lastly, the CRI / Wireless Ronin / Broadcast International [6] menage a trois will undoubtedly be played out this month. We spent some quality time with new entity CEO elect Paul Price whilst we were in New York City this past week and whilst we love all of the work that CRI have been doing in the retail space it is still not abundantly clear to us how all those pieces fit together.
One thing is for sure. August is not going to be a quiet month by anyone’s standards.