Pluribus acquires eight brands from Nielsen

e5 Global Media LLC, a new company formed jointly by media sector private equity partnership Pluribus Capital Management, and diversified financial services firm Guggenheim Partners, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire eight brands from The Nielsen Company, including The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

The company said that the management of the acquired brands and their staff members will begin to transition immediately.

The acquisition, which is subject to normal terms and conditions, is scheduled to close by 31 December, 2009.

In addition to The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, the other brands included in the sale by Nielsen Business Media are: Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, The Clio Awards, Backstage and Film Journal International.

e5 Global Media will also acquire the Film Expo business, which includes the ShoWest, ShowEast, Cinema Expo International and CineAsia trade shows.

Pluribus Capital was founded in 2009 by James A. Finkelstein, George Green and Matthew Doull to focus on acquiring and managing industry leading media properties with high growth potential, particularly those with strong brand recognition across multiple platforms including digital, print and events.

Guggenheim Partners is a privately held, diversified financial services firm with more than $100 billion in assets under supervision. Both Pluribus and Guggenheim have strong and demonstrated track records of successfully managing investments in a variety of companies.

Nielsen said it remains committed to its leading trade show group and affiliated brands. It will continue to assess the strategic fit of other publications.