Dentsu Aegis Buys Komli Parent SVG Media

In India, marcoms network Dentsu Aegis has acquired digital agency SVG Media, whose brands include audience measurement specialist Komli, digital platform DGM, and data targeting business Seventynine. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2006, SVG Media comprises more than 280 specialists across four Indian cities: Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore; and offers diverse digital media competencies including online performance marketing, mobile app distribution, social media, and web services. Following the acquisition from the Smile Group, the company will join the network's Asia Pacific data and technology-led digital agency Columbus under the name SVG Columbus.

As part of the deal, Anurag Gupta, CEO of SVG Columbus and DGM, will report to Ashish Bhasin (pictured), Chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia. Gupta will join the SVG Columbus Managing Board, which will be chaired by Vivek Bhargava, CEO of Performance, Dentsu Aegis Network India. Also joining the Board are Chirag Shah, CEO of SVG Media Mobile and Seventynine; Deven Dharamdasani, COO of SVG Media Mobile and Seventynine; Akshay Mathur, Business Head of Komli; and Ashwani Mehta, Finance Controller.

Commenting on the news, Bhasin said: 'Given its capabilities in data led search, performance marketing and mobile, SVG Columbus is ideally positioned to capture the fragmented long tail publisher market in India using technology and data. As a group, we have leading position in digital in India, particularly in search and performance'.

Web sites: www.dentsuaegis.com and www.columbusagency.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.