• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 24, 2009

Dow Jones & Co. has sold its online news syndication services unit Screaming Media to content management company YellowBrix, the companies said Thursday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Per the deal, YellowBrix will acquire all product lines, customers and content services under the Screaming Media brand.

Jeff Massa, president and CEO of YellowBrix, said the deal gives his company a better foothold among prized enterprise clients. "The acquisition further extends YellowBrix's reach into the corporate community," he said.

Founded in 1997, this marks the company's third such acquisition in eight years. Previously, the Alexandria, Va.-based YellowBrix acquired iSynidcate in 2001, which expanded YellowBrix technology and content offerings. In 2004, it bought FluentMedia to incorporate premium brand content into the YellowBrix portfolio.

In 2003, MarketWatch acquired Screaming Media -- which for a short time changed its name to Pinnacor -- for $103 million. In 2005, Dow Jones acquired MarketWatch from Viacom and Pearson PLC for over $500 million.

Given the tough financial climate, Dow Jones parent News Corp. was likely happy to get what it could for Screaming Media. This summer, the company posted a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of $203 million, or 8 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30. In stark contrast, a year earlier the company reported profit of $1.1 billion, or 43 cents per share. In particular, its newspaper division saw operating profit nosedive 63% to $96 million.

YellowBrix helps clients acquire, interpret and analyze market and business intelligence news and industry information on companies, people, products and reputations. Its focus includes industry-specific trade journals in addition to consumer content such as news, stocks, weather, sports and entertainment.