Experian snaps up web measurement firm Hitwise for $240m

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 19-Apr-07, 09:20

LONDON - Hitwise, the website traffic measurement company, has been acquired by credit and marketing information firm Experian for $240m (£120m), subject to regulatory approval.

Founded in 1998, Hitwise collects and aggregates information from ISPs on how more than 25m consumers use and search the internet in the UK, US, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

It works for more than 1,200 clients including HSBC, AXA, Google, eBay, CBS News and Ikea, and has increased its customer base by more than 40% in the last two years.

Experian said Hitwise's services are complementary to its own products -- for example, Hitwise will be able to use the sales and distribution network of email delivery and analytics company Cheetahmail.

Andrew Walsh, chief executive of Hitwise, said: "We are excited to become part of Experian, having worked with them for over four years. We will now be able to accelerate Hitwise's growth and profitability through access to Experian's wider pool of data, tools and clients, while more quickly expanding our global footprint."

The use of Hitwise figures are disputed by some. Last year, the Telegraph Group used them to claim that its paper's online edition had overtaken The Times and The Guardian to become the UK's number one newspaper website in the country.

However, this was strongly disputed by rivals. According to ABCe figures, Guardian Unlimited is the UK's largest online paper with its rivals a long way behind.