SkillSoft PLC (Nasdaq: SKIL) $9.76. Today announced that it has reached agreement on the terms of a recommended acquisition of the Company by a new company formed by funds sponsored by each of Berkshire Partners LLC, Advent International Corporation and Bain Capital Partners, LLC (together, the “Investor Group”). Under the terms of the recommended acquisition, SkillSoft shareholders will receive $10.80 in cash for each SkillSoft ordinary share or American Depositary Share (“ADS”), representing a 26% premium to the average closing price of SkillSoft’s ADS over the one-year period ended on February 11, 2010 and a 49% premium to the average closing price of SkillSoft’s ADS over the five-year period ended on February 11, 2010. The fully diluted equity value of the transaction is approximately $1.1 billion.
What They Do: SkillSoft PLC is a leading SaaS provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses.
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) $40.27. Today announced it has acquired RiskControl, a privately held risk consulting company based in Rio de Janeiro, to complement and expand its risk service offerings in the rapidly growing Brazilian market.
The acquisition includes RiskControl’s staff and service offerings as well as its end-to-end software tool, RiskControl, a software platform that helps companies manage, monitor and evaluate risks throughout their business. The software is used primarily in financial services institutions to help manage balance-sheet exposure to market risk factors such as fluctuations in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, stock prices, indexes or commodities prices.
RiskControl will be integrated into Accenture’s new Risk Management service line, and Accenture will continue to deliver services to RiskControl’s clients under the terms of their existing contracts.
What They Do: Accenture PLC operates as a management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company.
DISH Network (Nasdaq: DISH) $18.23. Today announced it has has partnered with NBC Universal to deliver viewers a fully interactive experience during NBCU's coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
DISH Network will offer 2010 Olympic Winter Games coverage on NBC Universal networks free through its Interactive TV mosaic, a six-screen showcase available to all DISH Network iTV-enabled set-top boxes. The mosaic will provide more than 835 hours of NBCU's 2010 Vancouver Games content from Feb. 12-28 – representing the most total hours of coverage ever for an Olympic Winter Games. Featured channels include CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network and three Olympic highlight channels. DISH Network subscribers can watch all six screens simultaneously or select one channel to watch in full-screen.
What They Do: DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation, provides more than 14 million satellite TV customers, as of Dec. 10, 2009.
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