The NPD Group to Purchase In-Stat.

The NPD Group said that it has signed an agreement to acquire In-Stat, an analyst-based research company focused on the mobile and digital entertainment industries.

In a release, the group said that the acquisition will further strengthen its analyst businesses by expanding its global coverage in these market sectors. NPD also owns DisplaySearch, an analyst services firm and the worldwide leader in flat panel display and electronics market research and consulting.

In-Stat offers reports and advisory services that help its clients understand and identify opportunities in the rapidly-converging world of mobile phones, connected devices, and digital entertainment. Its clients include technology vendors, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and media companies. By offering information on the market ecosystem, including forecasting and analysis, In-Stat also complements NPD's existing consumer and retail sales tracking services for the technology and entertainment industries.

"In-Stat will be a strategic addition to the NPD family of analyst businesses," said Tim Bush, General Manager of The NPD Group's Analyst Services, into which In-Stat will report. "By combining information and services from DisplaySearch and In-Stat, we will be able to offer the industry a complete view of the digital world, including analysis of how digital content is affecting the evolving hardware market."

Mark Kirstein, CEO of In-Stat, said, "We are delighted to become a part of The NPD Group family. As part of The NPD Group's Analyst Services we will be better able to serve our clients on a global basis, as well as leverage NPD's complementary market information and scale."

The NPD Group is a provider of consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries.

In-Stat's market intelligence combines technical, market and end-user research and database models to analyze the Mobile Internet and Digital Entertainment ecosystems.

Since 1996, DisplaySearch is a global market research and consulting firm specializing in the $770 billion display supply chain, as well as the photovoltaic/solar cell industries.

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