Broadsign’s Acquisition of Navori Digital Signage Network

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Further to our earlier post on this acquisition by Broadsign, a couple of comments.

First, this gives Broadsign a ready made office in Europe and at that an office close to its major customer, Neo Advertising in Geneva. This addresses one of the criticisms that we leveled at Broadsign (and other US and Israeli players) late last year.

Secondly, whilst we think the SaaS / ASP approach is ideal, there are some market segments and indeed some customers who really do want their software on their own premises (don’t ask us why or we would start with the line, IT Managers and Outsourcing and “do Turkeys vote for Xmas / Thanksgiving” – cos’ that is the only real reason for doing your own plumbing and electricity supply because that is exactly technology can be compared to now).

This acquisition allows Broadsign to offer to those customers who refuse to do SaaS an alternative product without breaking their business model.

We would still like to see some clarification of the venues and screen numbers that Navori quote – we will ask Wednesday at the show (Screen Expo Europe)

BROADSIGN ACQUIRES NAVORI DIGITAL SIGNAGE NETWORK

Minneapolis, MN, Montreal, QC, Lausanne, Switzerland – February 5, 2008 – BroadSign International, Inc. (BroadSign), a leading worldwide provider of hosted software for managing digital signage networks, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire privately-held Navori International S.A. (Navori). The Switzerland-based company provides software solutions for closed digital signage networks. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

This acquisition reinforces BroadSign’s leadership as the premier software provider in the digital signage industry and expands the company’s presence in the European and Pacific Rim markets with a centrally located facility for sales, support and services staff.

It also builds on the company’s leadership position in the expected industry consolidation and adds to BroadSign’s market share and vertical penetration. Navori will be integrated into the BroadSign brand adding to the company’s offerings portfolio specifically for companies requiring a closed on-premise digital signage network. The agreement will also allow Navori the opportunity to participate in BroadSign’s Ad Server which delivers content to over 100 networks in 25 countries around the world on a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.

“The acquisition of Navori will offer businesses requiring a closed on-premise network an opportunity to add on to BroadSign’s product offering,” said Rick Engels, President and CEO of BroadSign. “BroadSign was designed with a focus on being leader providing clarity and growth in the digital signage space. This initial acquisition demonstrates BroadSign’s ability to add market shares and increase vertical penetration.”

Navori is one of the top software brands in the digital signage industry enabling its solutions to seamlessly integrate with existing back office and logistics systems. Its products offer features such as an intuitive management interface and a highly evolved graphics engine. Navori powers more than 17,000 screens and drives more than 4,000 networks worldwide. Its customers include well- established brands such as Sony, Boeing and Clear Channel network inside Norway’s Oslo International Airport.

“Navori is joining forces with a leader in digital signage technology,” said Jerome Moeri, CEO NAVORI SA. “Our immediate goal is to gain from synergies and contribute to the
creation of a new technological standard for our industry.”

About BroadSign International, Inc.

BroadSign International, Inc. is a fast growing leading worldwide provider of hosted solutions for managing digital signage networks. The BroadSign™ Suite resolves the challenges facing modern digital signage networks: the need for full campaign execution functionality, accountability and true scalability. The software enables operators to target out-of-home audiences, sell network airtime, and reliably play back scheduled content on each screen and account for campaign performance. BroadSign combines extensive expertise in digital signage software, media, advertising, and information technology and is a member company of the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB), OAAA, In-Store Marketing Institute and POPAI. Digital signage networks in 25 countries around the world use The BroadSign™ Suite. For more information, visit www.broadsign.com.

About Navori International S.A.

Navori was founded in 1998 with investment by the LVMH Group (Luis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) that was looking for a digital signage solution for its retail locations. The founders researched digital signage and narrowcasting technology platforms and found that none were of the capabilities demanded by the market. Thus the Tycoon generation of software products was developed. While the company originally offered systems integration services that part of the business was sold in 2001 and digital signage and narrowcasting became the sole focus. To date, the Navori Tycoon platform is driving more than 4,000 digital signage networks worldwide and is acknowledged for its
capability to integrate with existing back office and logistics systems. For more information, visit www.navori.com


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