The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. reported that the mergers and acquisition (M&A) market for the media and information industries increased 12.5 percent in the first half of 2006 compared to last year.

There were over 300 M&A deals completed in the first half of 2006, which total more than $37 billion in value. One of the largest media M&A deals was the $11 billion acquisition of VNU by a consortium of private equity funds.

Another high profile media M&A deal was the $6 billion sale of Knight-Ridder to McClatchy.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group also reported that other sectors contributing to the rise of M&A activity include business-to-business magazines with deal values up 22 percent this year compared to the same period last year.