• January 8, 2008

Leading all sectors with 306 transactions in 2007, online media saw a 69% increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions and a 33% rise in value over 2006 levels, investment banking firm The Jordan, Edmiston Group reported Monday.

M&A in the online media sector was driven by both B2B and consumer media transactions, according to the report. For B2B in the fourth quarter, KnowledgeStorm was sold to TechTarget for $58 million--while on the consumer side,iParenting was sold to The Walt Disney Company, Spectrum Equity Investors acquired The Generations Network for $300 million, and HowStuffWorks was acquired by Discovery Communications for $250 million.

--Gavin O'Malley