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The last quarter of 2017 saw increased M&A activity across the digital media space, with 340 M&A transactions announced, reflecting increases of 30% over the prior quarter and 38% over the same period of the prior year. While the number of financings declined from prior periods, disclosed financing value reached more than $24 billion.
Key industry trends driving investments and acquisitions include:
- Ongoing consolidation of online and traditional retailers to create efficient and flexible supply chains with last-mile capabilities able to rapidly fulfill orders to customers;
- Increasing investments in artificial intelligence and augmented reality as innovations continue to drive the technologies closer to widespread adoption; and
- Advertisers and marketers continuing to pivot to a mobile and interconnected world, with a growing focus on harvesting and leveraging consumer data.