Naspers Invests $388m and Mail.ru Shares in DST

South Africa’s Naspers Limited has announced an agreement to acquire a 28.7% stake in Digital Sky Technologies (DST) through a combination of two strategic investments. Through subsidiary Myriad International Holdings, Naspers will give DST its current 39.9% stake in Mail.ru as well as invest USD $388 million in cash. Other Mail.ru minority investors will also convert their shares to DST.

When the transaction is complete DST will own 99.9% of the leading internet entertainment portal in the Russian-language community.

Digital Sky Technologies (www.dst-global.com)
DST is the largest internet related holding company in the Russian-speaking world and among the largest worldwide. The company was formed in 2005 and exclusively targets internet-based businesses and technologies.

DST companies account for nearly 70% of all internet page views in the Russian language with an estimated user base of around 300 million people.

Since the company’s founding DST investments have topped the USD $1 billion mark in more than 30 companies including Facebook, Groupon, and Zynga.

Naspers (www.naspers.co.za)
Naspers is a media holding company based in Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1915 as a newspaper publisher and distributor, Naspers has grown to become a multinational company active in internet-related businesses, e-commerce, pay television, and digital media, as well as its traditional print media roots.

Naspers is primarily focused on opportunities in emerging markets in Africa, Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. Since 1994 Naspers has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.