Jakarta, 3 Oktober 2016 — Avast Software, perusahaan pemimpin penyedia produk keamanan digital untuk pengguna pribadi mapun korporasi, hari ini mengumumkan keberhasilannya dalam mengakuisisi sebagian besar saham AVG Technologies, setelah selesainya masa penawaran awal untuk semua saham biasa AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG) yang beredar. Dengan demikian, kedua perusahaan akan beroperasi sebagai satu kesatuan mulai hari ini, Senin, 3 Oktober 2016.

Vince Steckler telah diangkat menjadi Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Avast baru, mengawasi entitas baru hasil gabungan tersebut, yang nilai pendapatannya mencapai lebih dari US$700 juta di tahun 2016.  Avast telah mentransformasi diri menjadi perusahaan penyedia keamanan layanan penuh dengan basis pelanggan terbesar di dunia, dan dengan usaha Mobile, SMB dan Mobile Enterprise yang besar. Terhitung sejak selesainya masa penawaran awal ini, Gary Kovacs, akan mundur dari posisinya sebagai CEO AVG, namun akan tetap menjalin hubungan dengan perusahaan untuk memberikan konsultasi selama masa transisi.

“Perusahaan hasil gabungan ini kini memiliki lebih dari 400 juta pengguna, jumlah yang mewakili lebih dari 40 persen pengguna PC di dunia, di luar China, dan merupakan perangkat keamanan pengguna berbasis instalasi yang terbesar di dunia. Seandainya pasar keamanan komputer adalah negara, maka kami adalah negara dengan populasi terbesar ke-3 di dunia,” ungkap Vince Steckler, Chief Executive Officer. “Pasar kami nomor satu saat ini adalah Amerika Serikat dengan jumlah 58 juta pengguna. Kami telah memiliki jangkauan global dan kami bangga sebagai pilihan terpopuler di pasar keamanan komputer di dunia.”

“Kami memiliki keahlian teknis untuk memberikan proteksi yang unggul bagi para konsumen kami. Sebagai contoh, Lab kami terdiri atas beberapa tim profesional untuk mengatasi segala ancaman keamanan komputer yang muncul, seperti ancaman rekayasa sosial (social engineering threats), yang umumnya menyerang perangkat IoT, dan ransomware, yang kami lawan dengan teknologi pembelajaran mesin. Kami percaya bahwa kami sekarang lebih siap dari sebelumnya untuk mensiasati mereka yang ingin merugikan orang-orang yang melakukan aktivitas online. "

Akuisisi terhadap AVG telah meningkatkan kemampuan Avast dalam melindungi konsumen. Avast kini:

• Memiliki jaringan deteksi ancaman yang terluas di dunia dengan lebih dari 400 juta endpoint yang bekerja sebagai sensor yang menyediakan informasi mengenai  malware untuk membantu mendeteksi dan menetralkan ancaman-ancaman baru yang muncul.
  
• Memiliki layanan cloud yang memprioritaskan keamanan dan jaringan pembelajaran mesin yang terdiri atas 9,000 server dan 50 juta koneksi yang memberikan  perlindungan seketika kepada pengguna.
  
• Mencegah sekitar 1 miliar serangan malware per bulan
  
• Memblokir lebih dari 500 juta URL jahat per builan
  
• Memblokir sekitar 50 juta serangan phising per bulan
  
• Memproses lebih dari 9 juta berkas eksekusi (execution file) per bulan, 25 persen diantaranya jahat. Hal ini meningkatkan kecepatan dan mengembangkan pengetahuan Avast dalam ranah ancaman keamanan komputer.
  
• Dengan akuisisi tersebut, Avast telah mengembangkan bisnis SMB cloud-nya dan meningkatkan basis pengecer (reseller) AVG untuk melayani perusahaan yang lebih banyak dan lebih besar. Selain itu, Avast juga telah mendapatkan Location Labs dan usaha operatornya (carier), yang mendapatkan suntikan investasi dari Avast dan akan dikembangkan untuk merambah pasar luar negeri. Karena sifat tertutup infrastruktur sistem operasi perangkat bergerak, keamanan perangkat bergerak dan teknologi proteksi privasi akan semakin kuat dengan infrastruktur operator. Teknologi dari Location Labs merupakan solusi berbasis layanan cloud yang menghilangkan inefisiensi dan ketidakamanan bagi pengguna yang menggunakan perangkat bergerak mereka.
  

Avast berencana menciptakan produk lebih banyak dan lebih baik untuk mengantisipasi kian bertambahnya jumlah ancaman. Avast akan terus menawarkan produk bermerek AVG dan Avast demi masa depan yang lebih baik dan mendukung pelanggan dan mitra produk.

“Kami ingin pelanggan yakin bahwa menggunakan poduk AVG atau Avast akan membantu mereka. Kami bukan apa-apa tanpa pelanggan dan mitra kami, yang telah membantu kami melangkah hingga sejauh ini,” ujar Vince Steckler.

Sebagai hasil dari akuisisi, Avast akan membeli 87.3% saham AVG yang beredar setelah masa penawaran awal. Avast juga telah mengumumkan sebuah masa penawaran susulan kepada para pemegang saham AVG yang belum dan ingin menawarkan saham mereka. Masa penawaran susulan ini akan berakhir pada jam 11:59 malam waktu New York pada 14 Oktober 2016. Avast berencana mengeluarkan saham AVG dari daftar bursa efek New York secara sukarela secepatnya setelah masa penawaran susulan.

The Transaction

On July 29, 2016, Avast Software B.V. and its parent company, Avast Holding B.V., commenced a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG Technologies N.V. at a purchase price of $25.00 per share in cash, without interest and less applicable withholding taxes or other taxes.  The initial offering period for the tender offer and withdrawal rights expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on September 29, 2016. Based on information provided by the depositary for the offer, a total of 44,543,555 shares, representing approximately 87.3% of the aggregate number of shares outstanding, had been validly tendered and had not been properly withdrawn as of the initial expiration of the offer (excluding 2,809,498 shares, representing approximately 5.5% of the aggregate number of shares outstanding, tendered pursuant to guaranteed delivery procedures that have not yet been delivered in settlement or satisfaction of such guarantee).  Avast Software B.V. and Avast Holding B.V. have accepted for payment all shares that were validly tendered and were not properly withdrawn from the offer, and payment for such shares will be made promptly in accordance with the terms of the offer.

Avast Software B.V. and Avast Holding B.V. also announced today the commencement of a subsequent offering period scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on October 14, 2016. Avast may extend the subsequent offering period to provide for a minority exit offering period of up to 10 business days to provide AVG shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares the opportunity to do so. All shares validly tendered during the subsequent offering period will be immediately accepted for payment, and tendering holders will thereafter promptly be paid the same form and amount of offer consideration as in the initial offering period.  The procedures for tendering shares during the subsequent offering period are the same as those applicable to the initial offering period, except that (i) the guaranteed delivery procedures may not be used during the subsequent offering period and (ii) no withdrawal rights will apply to shares tendered during the subsequent offering period.

As more fully described in the offer to purchase, if the number of shares purchased during the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), together with the shares purchased during the initial offering period, is equal to at least 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, Avast expects to acquire the ordinary shares of AVG that were not tendered into the tender offer through the compulsory share acquisition process under Section 2:92a/2:201a of the Dutch Civil Code.  If the number of shares purchased during the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), together with the shares purchased during the initial offering period, is less than 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, Avast plans to effect an asset sale pursuant to which Avast will acquire substantially all of the assets, and assume substantially all of the liabilities, of AVG promptly following the tender offer.  Following the completion of the asset sale, AVG will be liquidated and the remaining minority shareholders of AVG will receive cash distributions with respect to each ordinary share owned by them equal to the per share cash consideration paid in the tender offer less any applicable dividend withholding tax or any other taxes.

As soon as practicable following the completion of the subsequent offering period (including, if applicable, the minority exit offering period), AVG intends to voluntarily delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange.  AVG also intends to deregister its shares under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended, the “Exchange Act”) and to suspend its reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, but will only be  eligible to do so upon satisfaction of the applicable requirements for deregistration. 

AVG has submitted written notice to the New York Stock Exchange of its intent to voluntarily delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange in connection with the tender offer. AVG intends to file a Form 25, Notification of Removal from Listing and/or Registration under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to delist its shares promptly following the subsequent offering period. Delisting from the NYSE is expected to become effective 10 days after the filing date of the Form 25.

The AVG shares will not be listed or registered on another national securities exchange.  Delisting is likely to reduce significantly the liquidity and marketability of any AVG shares that have not been tendered pursuant to the tender offer.

Advisors

Jefferies International Limited is acting as exclusive financial advisor, and White & Case LLP and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek N.V. are acting as legal advisors to Avast.  Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to AVG, Bridge Street Securities, LLC is acting as financial advisor to the supervisory board of AVG, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Allen & Overy LLP are acting as legal advisors to AVG.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “are confident that,” “objective,” “projection,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “target,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things: general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which Avast and AVG operate; the uncertainty of regulatory approvals; AVG’s delisting from the New York Stock Exchange and suspension of AVG‘s reporting obligations under the Exchange Act and to consummate the transactions and their plans described in this press release; and AVG’s performance and maintenance of important business relationships. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in AVG’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including AVG’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and neither Avast nor AVG assumes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It 

This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of AVG.  The solicitation and offer to purchase ordinary shares of AVG is being made pursuant to a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including an Offer to Purchase, a related letter of transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, filed by Avast with the SEC on July 29, 2016 (as subsequently amended, the “Tender Offer Statement”).  AVG filed a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 with respect to the tender offer with the SEC on July 29, 2016 (as subsequently amended, the “Solicitation/Recommendation Statement”). AVG shareholders are urged to read the Tender Offer Statement and Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, as they may be amended from time to time, as well as any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, carefully and in their entirety because they will contain important information that AVG shareholders should consider before making any decision regarding tendering their securities. The Tender Offer Statement and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement are available for free at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by AVG will be available free of charge on AVG’s website at investors.avg.com.

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