Picking up on last week’s announcement – Holland’s Ilse Media has acquired Rosetta, operator of a five-year-old schoolmates’ social network, for an undisclosed sum. Rosetta’s SchoolBANK.nl claims 3.2 million registered users in Holland, 1.1 million monthly unique users and 2006 sales of EUR 3.1 million ($4.1 million). The site, which claims 100,000 daily visitors and offers premium features for one euro per month, reconnects alumni with former schoolmates and teachers.
Consisting of some 96 sites, Ilse Media, digital division of Sanoma Uitgevers, which earlier acquired VNU Magazines, also operates DienstMAKKERS.nl and WorkMATES.nl plus the large Dutch internet portal Startpagina.nl, NU.nl and web-log.nl. Many of its online outlets are brand extensions for printed magazines. This deal sounds a little like ITV’s £120 million ($220 million) purchase of UK social network precursor and one-time leading light Friends Reunited in 2005. But Sanoma has a stronger online track record and more discernible youth brands with which to exploit its new acquisition. New features are due to be added in the next few months. (Release).