BlueVector AI

PE Firm Grabs Majority Stake In DoubleVerify

Providence Equity Partners acquired a majority stake in DoubleVerify, with the deal valued around $200 million per The Wall Street Journal and the company valued at more than $300 million. DoubleVerify CEO Wayne Gattinella confirmed the $200 million figure as a ballpark. Laura Desmond is joining DoubleVerify's board, and KeyBanc Capital Markets served as the financial adviser. DoubleVerify reports about $70 million in revenues and has raised $46.5 million, including a $33 million VC round in 2011 led by Institutional Venture Partners and JMI Equity. Providence says the investment will fund existing tools, R&D, and global expansion, including a focus on brand safety. Providence’s other media and information investments include OpenSky, SnapApp, Hulu, Univision, Warner Music Group, and YES Network. The move occurs amid ongoing consolidation in the third-party verification space, with Integral Ad Science remaining independent and Moat acquired by Oracle earlier.

Playbuzz Aims To Help Publishers Get Chatty With Their Content

Playbuzz introduced Convo, a static content unit designed to mimic an SMS chat layout with emoji, images, and GIFs to boost editorial engagement and time spent on articles. The format is part of Playbuzz's interactive content suite (polls, quizzes, videos, slideshows) and is being tested by publishers including Perez Hilton, Distractify, Eat This Not That!, Eslang, and The Huffington Post UK. HuffPo UK highlights that Convo helps present long conversations more neatly and can include images and other interactive elements. Launch partners report averages of more than three minutes spent on Convo-embedded articles. Playbuzz is exploring advertiser-enabled opportunities with publishers. The company has raised $31 million across four funding rounds since 2012, including a $15 million strategic investment in March led by Saban Ventures with Disney participation.