Purch Acquires AnandTech, Dominates Tech Expert and Enthusiast Market

Leading content and commerce company adds respected mobile, computing, and IT reviews site to its brand portfolio

NEW YORK, NY (December 17, 2014) – Purch today announced the acquisition of AnandTech.com, a leader in mobile, computing and IT analysis and reviews. Purch’s industry-leading combination of high-quality content and integrated commerce experiences makes complex buying decisions easy for more than 100 million consumers and professionals monthly. With the acquisition of AnandTech, Purch furthers its mission to simplify purchase decisions for in-market tech consumers by adding one of the most popular computer components, hardware, and mobile reviews sites to a brand portfolio that already includes category heavyweight, Tom’s Hardware.

AnandTech has been at the forefront of the technological evolution, providing groundbreaking reviews and trend coverage of cutting-edge mobile and computing products since Anand Shimpi, one of the tech industry’s most authoritative and respected figures, founded it in 1997 at age 14.

“AnandTech has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years, but we were nearing what’s possible as an independent company,” said Ryan Smith, editor-in-chief, AnandTech. “The challenge has always been that there are very few players in the publishing space these days who value deep, high-quality content. We wanted a partner that understood our values, had a sound business model to ensure AnandTech’s legacy would continue for years to come, and would allow us to grow and expand our readership without compromising the quality that made us who were are today. Purch provides all of these things. I am beyond excited about what we’ll be able to do with their support.”

“The addition of AnandTech to a brand portfolio that includes Tom’s Hardware, Tom’s Guide, and Top Ten Reviews unquestionably establishes Purch as the dominant provider of in-depth, quality technology content, serving technology buyers who want to ensure the value of their potential investments,” said Greg Mason, CEO, Purch. “Technology manufacturers, too, can be assured that their messages will reach any serious buyer. The two editorial teams represent the finest, most expert group of content talent in the technology space. ”

“AnandTech represents much of my life’s work over the past 18 years,” said Anand Shimpi, founder, AnandTech. “I am happy to see it end up with a partner committed to taking good care of the brand and its readers. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Purch offers brands and advertisers unmatched reach to tens of millions of discerning in-market tech consumers and professionals each month. These tech “enthusiasts” look to the kind of detailed research, benchmark testing, and advice from category experts during their buying process for which Tom’s Hardware and AnandTech are known. Readers trust that advice because it is backed by nearly two decades of testing every mobile and PC component imaginable, and is supported by unprecedented input and guidance from the biggest, passionate community of like-minded enthusiasts.

Purch’s acquisition of AnandTech is the company’s most recent move in a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships aimed at furthering its mission to ease complex buying decisions for shoppers and deliver branding and performance results to advertisers. In 2013, the company acquired the renowned “Tom’s” brand of tech media sites and, earlier this year, purchased BuyerZone, the leading online marketplace for SMB buyers and sellers. Purch’s ability to trigger buying decisions in an array of product categories is evidenced by the more than 7,000 marketers and sellers that come to Purch to connect with ready-to-buy consumers. Each year, Purch’s content-commerce combination drives more than one billion dollars in commerce transactions.

In addition to the acquisition, Purch is now the number one technology publisher in the U.S., [1] with a global readership of more than 100 million monthly unique visitors.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

To find out more about Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

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About Purch

Purch is a portfolio of digital brands and services that helps make complex buying decisions easy for 100 million consumers monthly. Its respected sites such as Top Ten Reviews, Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware, and Live Science natively integrate commerce and content in more than 1000 product categories so consumers can make better choices before, during, and after an important purchase.

The company helps marketers achieve their branding and performance objectives in a high-quality, brand-safe context. Its sites connect in-market shoppers with more than 7,000 marketers and sellers, driving industry-leading conversion rates and $1 billion in commerce transactions annually.

Purch is a high-growth, privately held company with more than 350 employees and offices across the U.S. and Europe.

For more information on Purch, visit www.purch.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

[1] Source: comScore U.S. Media Metrix, Tech-News category ranking by unique visitors, PC audience, September 2014

AnandTech Acquired By Purch
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  • szd - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    For me Toms hardware used to be the goto place for all things tech, now it's just appalling (I guess around the time it got purchased), when that happenned AnandTech replaced that tech fix, hope this isn't going to be history replacing itself!
  • nrage23 - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Sad. I stopped reading Tom's due to poor content with far too many adds and now Anandtech has sold out as well. At least there is still Ars.
  • Drumsticks - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Ars isn't independent either, and they do just fine.
  • KPOM - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Ars is owned by the company who owns a Vogue. And I don't like their openly leftist political stances. They should stick to technology.
  • FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 18, 2014 - link

    Ah, there's always Fox News!! :)
  • Mumrik - Friday, December 19, 2014 - link

    I left Ars when they decided to trawl through their own forums to write tabloid articles about Snowden.

    Ars sold the site and their soul many years ago BTW.
  • hansmuff - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Good luck Ryan & team.
  • tipoo - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    Just don't follow Tomshardwares decline in quality, please :(
  • IceClaec - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    This could go one of two ways. Either AnandTech will stay awesome, provide even more awesome content than before, and keep dominating the review and analysis world; or... they will be a slightly better version of the hapless Tom's Hardware (the old days of which are dearly missed).

    Stay awesome AnandTech! I believe in you! Heck, if you guys had t-shirts I'd wear one! (Actually a polo preferably, that way the other IT guys in the office know I have good taste in the online world)
  • quagga - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link

    What I've found that makes Anandtech special is that you don't raise my blood pressure. Which is to say, your articles don't take that many inflammatory positions. You run benchmarks, you let vendors respond if said benchmarks are horrible and you present your data. I have genuinely enjoyed that content. No one does that anymore.

    I read Toms as well, but it is no where near the same thing. They generate far more content, but much is filler. Sometimes it isn't well researched (no where near your average Anandtech article), it's often the opinion of the writer and sometimes is incorrect (although they do generally notice it eventually). You're both entertaining but for very different reasons. They need to be more like you; not vice versa.

    You're going to get a lot of hate for this (because, well, it's the internet). I have none for you and wish you all the best. I am, however, genuinely sad.

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