Another interesting digital acquisition by R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Co., the Chicago publishing services company that picked up Steve Brill and Gordon Crovitz’s Press+ earlier this year. Seeking to cement its 21st century image as a “global provider of integrated communications,” Donnelly is adding LibreDigital, a pioneer in digital publishing and distribution. No financial terms were disclosed.
In some respects, LibreDigital’s services for publishers in the digital space mirrors what Donnelley traditionally has done in print: digital printing, “warehousing” and distribution. Acquiring LibreDigital gives RRD access to that for its own customers plus presence on smartphones, tablets and e-readers, social commerce, browsing technology, analytics and more.
Among its assets: NewsStand.com, a direct-to-consumer marketplace for newspaper and magazine replicas. NewsStand.com is small compared to competitors like Newspaper Direct, though—much too small for a domain with that kind of potential—and should be an opportunity for Donnelley to exploit.
