Glam Media buys Monetise to kick-start global ads

Glam Media, Inc. (DEMOfall 07 and DEMOfall 05), a highly popular Web site with U.S. women, Tuesday announced plans to buy online ad seller Monetise, Ltd. of London to ignite its worldwide ad-selling efforts. Three-year-old Monetise Web site sells ads for top United Kingdom entertainment sites and attracts seven million unique visitors a month. The 17-person firm will become part of Glam Media's U.K. operation. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Within a year, Glam Media of Brisbane, CA expects ad operations running in the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, India, and China, the company said. Monetise sells ads for U.K. entertainment sites Flixster, ARTISTDirect, TVGuide.co.uk., and others and is expected to generate between $25 million to $45 million (U.S.) of U.K.-based ads in 2009.

Joel Cymberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of Monetise, was named Glam Media's publisher management and operations director. Prior to Monetise, he founded several media technology companies, including First~Media, Digistream, and Clipstream. Cymberg formerly was a principal at Grenadier Capital, a corporate finance boutique firm. He has also worked for RAD Investment Bank, Grant Thornton Corporate Finance, and Nikko Securities.

Jon Walsh, co-founder and sales director of Monetise, has joined Glam Media as its entertainment sales director. Walsh has more than eight years of digital media sales experience, having worked on sites such as Friends reunited, Multimap, Setanta Sports. and Oli.co.uk.

Glam Media raised $65 million from investors and an additional $20 million in debt earlier this year so it could make building a global ad-sales operation a top priority. Glam Media expects $100 million in revenue in 2008, growing to $250 million to $350 million in 2009. The company didn't disclose if it is making a profit.

In May, Glam Media reached 42 million unique U.S. visitors, according to Web-measurement firm comScore.

Launched in 2005 at DEMO, Glam Media's network is six channels -living, entertainment, style, shopping, health and wellness, and family. Each channel offers original editorial, syndicated and media partner content and provides display and video advertising, content syndication, advertorials, search, and other applications. It also sells ads on more than 450 partner sites in related areas, ranging from fashion site SheFinds.com to celebrity site Hollyscoop.com. Glam Media announced earlier this month a new effort to build a Web product about pregnancy and the parenting of infants.