View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
December 8, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 5:42pm

UK newspapers continue dash to buy websites

By Press Gazette

Lou Thomas
The dash to buy-up websites from big UK newspaper
publishers continued today as Daily Mail and General Trust bought
leading UK property website Primelocation for £48 million.
The purchase is the latest in a line of property
website buy-ups undertaken by the major newspaper groups. DMGT now owns
two of the major property sites after spending £13.8m on Findaproperty
in November 2004.
The move follows news last week that DMGT has put
its regional newspaper division Northcliffe up for sale with an
expected asking price of £1.5 billion.
News Corp stepped into the online property market
last month having spent £14.3m on propertyfinder.com in November 2005
and Trinity bought smartnewhomes.com in July 2005 for £11.3m.
The Guardian Media Group owns a stake in homes and jobs website fish4.
Primelocation focuses on the upper and middle
segments of the UK’s residential property market and was set up by 50
estate agents including Savills and Frank knight in 2001.
Andrew Hart of DMGT’s Associated New ventures
said: ‘This acquisition continues our strategy of making investments in
key areas of the online advertising market including property listings.
Primelocation will sit well alongside our existing portfolio of online
assets.”
Earlier this month The Daily Telegraph reported
that Primelocation and Rightmove had received approaches from major
newspaper groups.
Rightmove is now the only remaining big name property website that is not partly or fully owned by a major newspaper group.
Online business website Brand Republic claimed
earlier this month that Rightmove were uncertain about selling to a
newspaper group because estate agents were worried they would have to
pay more for advertising on the site.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network