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Opera divests SurfEasy business

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Oslo, 6 November 2017

Opera Software ASA (“Opera” or the “Company”) entered 6 November 2017 into an agreement to sell its SurfEasy business to Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) (“Symantec”), the world’s leading cyber security company (the “Transaction”).

Closing of the Transaction took place simultaneously with the entering into of the agreement and all conditions for completion have therefore been fulfilled.

SurfEasy, one of Opera’s four subsidiaries, is an online privacy and security company providing easy-to-use desktop and mobile VPN solutions to help consumers protect their online privacy and security.

Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera, said, “We are pleased with the growth and success that SurfEasy has made during our ownership period. We believe Symantec is the right buyer for this business, as they have been a key customer and are very familiar with the business and organization. We are very pleased with the divestment of SurfEasy, and believe it emphasizes our strategy of developing our subsidiaries and creating shareholder value.”

Transaction and financial highlights:

  • The Transaction values SurfEasy to an enterprise value of USD 38.5m
  • The Transaction has customary net working capital and net debt adjustment mechanisms
  • Purchase price consists of an all cash consideration, of which 85% is paid to Opera at closing. The remaining 15% will be held in escrow for up to 15 months
  • SurfEasy will be excluded from Opera’s financials as of 6 November 2017

Carnegie acted as financial advisor to Opera in relation to the Transaction. Hogan Lovells acted as legal advisor to Opera in relation to the Transaction. 

For further information, please contact:
Petter Lade, CFO
Tel: +47 911 43 878

About Opera:
Opera holds shares in several different businesses, including AdColony which helps publishers monetize their content through advertising and advertisers reach the audiences that build value for their businesses, capitalizing on a global consumer audience reach that exceeds 2 billion; Opera Apps and Games(Bemobi); "Performance & Privacy" (Skyfire and Surfeasy); and Opera TV.

About Symantec:
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC), the world’s leading cyber security company, helps organizations, governments and people secure their most important data wherever it lives. Organizations across the world look to Symantec for strategic, integrated solutions to defend against sophisticated attacks across endpoints, cloud and infrastructure. Likewise, a global community of more than 50 million people and families rely on Symantec’s Norton and LifeLock product suites to protect their digital lives at home and across their devices. Symantec operates one of the world’s largest civilian cyber intelligence networks, allowing it to see and protect against the most advanced threats.