Yellow Pages Limited Announces the Acquisition of JUICE Mobile, a Leading Canadian Mobile Advertising Technology Company

Acquisition Creates a Leading Mobile Advertising Offering for Yellow Pages Limited

MONTREAL, March 15, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Yellow Pages Limited (TSX: Y) ("Yellow Pages" or the "Company") announced today that it will acquire JUICE Mobile ("JUICE"), a premium advertising technology company whose proprietary programmatic platforms facilitate the automatic buying and selling of mobile advertising between brands and publishers. The acquisition will close and take effect on March 17, 2016 and is subject to ordinary closing conditions.

Brands are rapidly adopting programmatic technologies in the deployment of mobile advertising campaigns. As the mobile advertising industry experiences rapid growth, projections indicate that programmatic is set to overtake non-programmatic forms of mobile advertising in Canada in 2016.

"The acquisition of JUICE Mobile positions Yellow Pages as a leader in national advertising, significantly expanding our reach of brands and media publishers and providing us with the technologies required to fulfill mobile advertising on their behalf," said Julien Billot, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yellow Pages Limited. "New forms of mobile advertising need to also be readily available to small and medium-sized businesses at the local level. By leveraging JUICE Mobile's technologies, platforms and audiences, Yellow Pages will equip Canadian SMEs with mobile programmatic solutions that are designed with their specific needs in mind and help them compete in the evolving digital marketplace."

JUICE's Programmatic Direct and Real-Time Bidding platforms enable advertisers and publishers to buy and sell mobile advertising more efficiently. Its Programmatic Direct platform, Nectar®, is Canada's largest mobile futures marketplace, helping advertisers purchase brand-safe and guaranteed impressions from a wide network of premium mobile publishers. Via its Real-Time Bidding platform, Swarm®, JUICE facilitates the purchase of mobile advertising in a real-time environment.

Since its inception in 2010, JUICE has successfully leveraged its mobile advertising platforms to build valuable relationships with an extensive network of brands and publishers. JUICE currently services over 300 Fortune 500 customers across North America, while operating a mobile media publisher network garnering 11 billion impressions annually. Revenues at JUICE exceeded $25 million in 2015, having grown organically at a CAGR of 110% over the past three years. In conjunction to growing its already notable market presence in Canada, JUICE is actively developing the US market, which currently represents approximately 15% of its consolidated revenues. As further evidence of its innovative and agile organization, JUICE was named Canada's 15^th fastest growing company on Deloitte's 2015 Technology Fast 50™.

"The acquisition of JUICE Mobile is highly complementary to our business," continued Mr. Billot. "This transaction will allow Mediative and JUICE Mobile to access rich technologies and a growing and unduplicated network of agencies, brands and audiences to buy and sell mobile advertising at scale. The transaction will also accelerate Yellow Pages' monetization of local mobile audiences, leveraging JUICE Mobile's publishers and advertising platforms to deliver more targeted hyperlocal mobile advertising campaigns to SMEs nationwide."

Yellow Pages will acquire JUICE Mobile, a privately held company, for a total purchase price consideration of $35 million. The acquisition will be fully funded with liquidity on hand, and will not impact the Company's ability to repay approximately $100 million of its Secured Notes in 2016. The Company continues to anticipate returning to consolidated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth, as well as achieve a debt-free capital structure, by 2018.

DNA Capital acted as exclusive financial advisors to the Company on the acquisition of JUICE Mobile. Telos Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisors to JUICE Mobile on its sale to Yellow Pages.

JUICE Mobile is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and holds additional offices in Montreal, Waterloo, Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

About Yellow Pages Limited
Yellow Pages Limited (TSX: Y) is a Canadian digital media and marketing solutions company that supports local economies by helping neighbourhood businesses reach new customers and foster stronger relationships with existing clients through its various media and products. Yellow Pages holds some of Canada's leading local online properties including YP.ca™, RedFlagDeals.com™, Canada411.ca, Bookenda.com, dine.TO, DuProprio.com, ComFree.com and YP NextHome. The Company also holds the YP, YP Shopwise, YP Dine, RedFlagDeals, Canada411, Bookenda, DuProprio, ComFree and YP NextHome mobile applications and Yellow Pages™ print directories. In addition, Yellow Pages is a leader in national digital advertising through Mediative, a division of Yellow Pages devoted to digital marketing and performance media services for national-scale agencies and customers. More at www.corporate.yp.ca.

 

SOURCE Yellow Pages Limited

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