MEDIA METRIX PAYS $413 MILLION
FOR JUPITER

Media Metrix Inc. agreed Tuesday (6/27) to buy Jupiter Communications Inc. for about $413 million, creating one-stop shopping for those who need to know how many people are using the Internet and how the Web is changing the way consumers and businesses interact.

The company's market value is more than $1 billion, Bloomberg News Service reports.

Media Metrix sells Internet usage data to advertising agencies, media companies and Internet competitors. Jupiter provides forward-looking research to Internet players.

The deal is being driven in part by increased pressure on Internet-related companies to become profitable, industry experts said. As capital markets dry up, competitors are rushing to build revenue and turn a profit, The Los Angeles Times reports.