WATCH VIDEO. RTL Group will acquire a controlling stake in StyleHaul for $107 million (around €85 million), valuing the company at $151.4 million (around €121 million).
RTL Group will also invest $20 million into StyleHaul in order to fund the company’s growth plan. This transaction, which is expected to close by the end of November 2014, will increase RTL Group’s shareholding from 22.3% to 93.6% (on a fully diluted basis). Under the terms of the deal, RTL Group has the opportunity to acquire the remaining equity, owned by StyleHaul’s management and employees.
“The acquisition of StyleHaul is another major strategic step in developing RTL Group into a global powerhouse in the rapidly growing market for online video,” said Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEOs of RTL Group, in a joint statement.
“StyleHaul has a first-class management team that built up the only multi-channel network of scale with a clear focus on the fashion and beauty segment, and has a highly engaged audience – a very compelling proposition for major brand advertisers. StyleHaul is an excellent fit with our digital portfolio, complementing our recent, technology-focused acquisitions BroadbandTV and SpotXchange. With its strong advertising sales team, impressive track record in producing web content and the synergy potential with RTL Group’s broadcasters and producers, StyleHaul has the ideal foundations for continued strong growth.”
“For the past two years the partnership between StyleHaul and RTL Group has played an integral role in our success and growth,” acded Stephanie Horbaczewski, Founder and CEO of StyleHaul.
“We are thrilled to be deepening that relationship and play a significant role in their emergence as a leader in the digital landscape. We are very thankful for all the support we received from my co-founders Allen and Aaron DeBevoise and our other investors RezVen and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI).”
In 2013, RTL Group made initial investments in StyleHaul resulting in a current 22.3%t shareholding in the company. StyleHaul was founded in 2011 by Stephanie Horbaczewski, a former marketing director at Saks Fifth Avenue, together with Allen and Aaron DeBevoise, the team that founded Machinima. With more than 900 million video views per month, revenues are expected to triple in 2014 compared to the previous year.