Earth Networks to Focus on High-Growth Data Solutions Business, Announces Sale of WeatherBug Consumer Business

Move reflects Earth Networks’ core focus on leveraging unique weather and IoT data assets to deliver powerful insights to enterprises, partners and the public sector   

Germantown, MD– November 15, 2016 — Earth Networks today announced its strategic direction to focus on high-growth B2B and B2G opportunities around the world and has sold its consumer-focused WeatherBug brand to xAd, Inc. a global leader in location intelligence. The transaction reflects Earth Networks’ core focus on leveraging its unique weather and Internet of Things (IoT) data assets to guide real-time, informed decisions that reduce risk and improve operations for organizations across industry verticals including energy, education, public venues, recreational facilities, and insurance, as well as local, state, and federal governments.

With the world’s largest network of weather, lightning, and greenhouse gas monitoring sensors, big data has always been at the core of Earth Networks’ mission. The WeatherBug branded desktop and mobile applications have delivered the most accurate neighborhood-level weather, superior forecasts, and advanced severe weather alerts to tens of millions of users.  The data underlying these applications is driven by Earth Networks industry-leading proprietary network of over 12,000 weather stations and lightning sensors – a real-time network that empowers hyperlocal monitoring and forecasting precision with granularity down to any latitude and longitude combination. Earth Networks will continue to own and operate the network going forward.

For years, corporations and government entities have relied on solutions leveraging the network to support critical initiatives including public safety, risk management, and asset protection. The growing array of analytical applications where real-time weather combined with IoT data can have profound impact on decisions and operations represents a significant growth opportunity for the company. “WeatherBug has been a tremendously successful brand for Earth Networks, one that has grown to tens of millions of users and an example of how our data assets can benefit the markets we serve,” said Bob Marshall, CEO of Earth Networks. “Now that we have built an unmatched global weather network, we believe that there exists a tremendous opportunity to convert the data into actionable insights – whether that is for managing operational risk, protecting the public, or utilizing the data to drive enhanced intelligence through analytics.”

The potential for advanced analytic applications built with the underlying weather and IoT data has been proven with the recent launch of its Connected Savings℠ platform, which provides unprecedented energy intelligence through the integration of IoT-connected smart home devices, proprietary weather data, and its patented predictive algorithms. Connected Savings HVAC control and optimization capabilities have been proven to save 16.5% in electricity usage when cooling homes, compared to 5.1% HVAC savings from a connected thermostat alone and represent a significant growth opportunity for energy efficiency related data services. Earth Networks core focus will now be to further develop and expand these types of solutions for its customers and partners.

About Earth Networks

For over 20 years, we’ve been Taking the Pulse of the Planet® using the world’s largest weather, lightning and greenhouse gas monitoring networks. Our sensors across the planet keep businesses and governments informed, updated and alerted. Our Connected Savings offering taps big weather and connected home data for improved energy efficiency and comfort. Enterprises such as schools, airports, professional sports teams, utilities, and government agencies rely on our early warning solutions to safeguard lives, prepare for weather events and optimize operations.

Media Contact:
Brian Lustig, Bluetext PR for Earth Networks
+1 202.469.3608
brian@bluetext.com