Informa, Ovum Wrap Merger, Create Huge Research Firm

Informa Telecoms & Media Research and Ovum have completed their merger. Moving forward, they will operate under the Ovum brand.

The deal creates what the companies say is the leading analyst firm for telecom research and fourth-largest technology research firm globally.

Since the announcement of the merger plan on April 7, the two companies have brought together all the analysts and consulting teams and combined all the content from both companies onto a new mobile-optimized, online delivery platform, delivering 34 research channels and 36 data tools. The new company has also launched new research products: digital media, music, telecoms IT, enterprise technology, enterprise mobility and customer engagement.

Over the coming weeks, Ovum will deliver new research in convergent technology areas as a result of the merger, such as telecoms IT spending forecasts, M2M forecasts, and monetizing telco big data.

“This merger combines two highly complementary businesses that together now provide our customers with superior and comprehensive research, data, and consulting services globally to meet the increased strategic challenges of the converging technology market,” said Steve Hotham, CEO of the combined company. “We do not believe any other analyst firm provides such inclusive coverage of the IT, telecoms and media markets as Ovum.”

The newly merged company will be an important part of Informa’s Business Intelligence division.

London-based Informa plc recently announced that it is buying VIRGO, the publisher of Channel Partners and Billing & OSS World.

Follow senior online managing editor @Craig_Galbraith on Twitter.