Screenvision Entering Final Round of Bidding
The robust auction for Screenvison is heading into the final stages, according to a source close to the process. The cinema advertiser’s parent company, Thomson SA, announced in January that it would divest Screenvision, and also is selling Premier Retail Networks (PRN), which it purchased from Shamrock Capital Advisors in 2005 for $285 million (Shamrock did quite well on the deal, investing just $35 million from its first fund in 2001). UBS is running the auction process for Screenvision. The firm declined to comment. Based in New York, Screenvision runs an in-theater network of advertisers. In other words, they do those annoying ads you’re forced to endure before the movies. The company’s network focuses on independent theaters and has an Ebitda “in the ballpark” of $40 million.
