Accenture to Acquire Origin Digital, Expanding Capabilities in Media, Entertainment and Communications Industries

Acquisition will enhance Accenture’s digital video media capabilities

NEW YORK.— Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Origin Digital, Inc., a privately held New Jersey-based company that provides rich video capture, transformation and delivery services to content owners. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The acquisition will expand Accenture’s ability to help clients grow their digital media revenue through Origin Digital’s specialized expertise in reaching new customers via mobile, broadband, IPTV and video-on-demand services.

“The digital market has reached critical mass, and bandwidth is now both affordable and economical, driving a revolution in digital media and creating challenges and exciting opportunities for our clients,” said Greg Douglass, managing director of Accenture’s Media & Entertainment practice. “Origin Digital will enhance our ability to help clients transform themselves for this new digital world.”

Origin Digital (www.OriginDigital.com) is well established in the digital media supply chain and has a number of Fortune 500 companies in its client portfolio that are also Accenture clients.

“The addition of Origin Digital video capabilities to Accenture’s Digital Media Services group will complement the experience we developed in music through our acquisition of Digiplug last year,” said Richard Cottrell, managing director of Accenture Digital Media Services (ADMS) group. “Creating a full suite of managed services will accelerate the availability of digital media services to businesses globally.”

ADMS helps digital content producers and providers get high-quality content to the market faster, through more channels and with greater efficiency than ever before. It will manage Origin Digital’s existing services along with those of Digiplug (www.digiplug.com), providing a comprehensive solution set to enable leading content owners and distributors to stay ahead of the explosive demand for digital content and services.

Industry analysts have predicted that the mobile content and services industry will grow by almost 70 percent to $277 billion by 2010.

“We’re excited to be combining our business with Accenture’s technology expertise and global reach,” said Darcy Lorincz, CEO of Origin Digital. “We’re confident that together we will make a significant impact in the digital arena and enable Accenture to become the pre-eminent provider for digital media services worldwide.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close within 30 days.