Gannett Buys Schedule Star, Parent Of Athletic Community HighSchoolSports.net
By David Kaplan - Wed 17 Oct 2007 10:27 AM PST
Apart from its somewhat negative earnings report this morning, Gannett (NYSE: GCI) is building up its digital holdings by taking a controlling interest in Schedule Star, which runs athletic community site HighSchoolSports.net. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Bridgeport, OH-based company claims it has over 6,500 schools subscribing to its Schedule Star athletic management system, which updates team stats and event information. Gannett plans to incorporate features from Schedule Star and HighSchoolSports.net local with its local newspapers, TV stations and websites as a way to increase ad revenue and readership. Release
Gannett’s stake in Schedule Star comes as acquisition activity for community sites devoted to youth athletics has become increasingly common. Over the summer, community sports tech company Active Network bought student lacrosse site LaxPower. And this past spring, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) paid nearly $100 million for college sports network Rivals.com.
Posted in: Companies, Gannett, Entertainment, Sports, Media, Newspapers, Misc, Social Media, Community, VC+M&A
