Taboola-Outbrain Merger Talks Come to an End
Abby is PMG’s senior managing editor, where she leads the company’s editorial program and manages the PMG Blog and Insights Hub. As a writer, editor, and marketing communications strategist with nearly a decade of experience, Abby's work in showcasing PMG’s unique expertise through POVs, research reports, and thought leadership regularly informs business strategy and media investments for some of the most iconic brands in the world. Named among the AAF Dallas 32 Under 32, her expertise in advertising, media strategy, and consumer trends has been featured in Ad Age, Business Insider, and Digiday.
Taboola’s bid to acquire Outbrain has been called off after the two advertising giants could not agree to new terms. In the original agreement made last October, Outbrain shareholders “were to receive $250 million in cash and 30 percent of the combined company.”
The Justice Department determined not to challenge the deal earlier this year, but antitrust authorities in the U.K. and elsewhere were still investigating the anticompetitive risks associated with the merger.
Digiday and others report publishers are — by and large — relieved at the news, with sources fearing that the merger would cause pricing pressure and reduce the quality of the ads.
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The pandemic greatly affected both companies’ finances (Taboola faring better than Outbrain), resulting in Taboola seeking new terms for the arrangement, but a new agreement was ultimately never reached.