LONDON, UK – 29 September, 2026 – The biggest M&A deal killer in today’s market is whether a business is AI-defensible, with many processes failing to go to market due to the perceived threat of AI. 

Published today, the seventh annual Collingwood Market Report provides an authoritative benchmark for valuations, investor sentiment, and M&A market trends in information, media, and events businesses. Built on in-depth survey data and interviews with active global buyers, alongside Collingwood’s extensive transaction history, the Report is a trusted industry resource that reflects the real dynamics of the market 

This year, that data points to a clear change in buyer behavior. Deal friction has moved upstream, with AI now a central conversation as data strategy has become a fundamental driver of enterprise value and long-term defensibility. Buyers now assess AI risk directly across investment approvals, commercial strategy, and technology diligence before formal processes begin.  

As one private equity buyer noted in the report: “AI is everything, from the reason so many deals are getting done in this space, to the prices that have been paid, to why so many deals are falling over.” 

Capital is not the constraint; private equity deployment in 2026 will fuel M&A activity well into 2027. However, as buyers quantify AI risk directly, the valuation gap will widen between defensible businesses and those easily replicated. 

The Report sets out Collingwood’s Data Defensibility Framework for assessing data resilience.  

  • Integrity (Is the data good?) 
  • Uniqueness (Can the data be copied?) 
  • Durability (Will the moat stand the test of time?) 
  • Stickiness (Is the data properly embedded in the customer workflow?) 
  • AI Leverage (Is AI reinforcing the moat?) 

While well-prepared businesses that pass these initial tests can move through diligence quickly, a clear roadmap cannot compensate for an underlying business model that buyers perceive as vulnerable. 

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Media Enquiries: 

Rosalind Hill, Head of Marketing 

rosalind.hill@collingwood.group 

About Collingwood  

The only growth, value creation, and M&A advisory purpose-built to help information, media, and events businesses create and realise shareholder value. Our unrivalled depth of domain expertise means we help these companies grow faster and achieve optimum outcomes. Our clients trust us to help them build and execute the right value creation plan for their business, because we know what good looks like and which levers they need to pull to get there, and how to avoid pitfalls and delays along the way. Collingwood’s experienced value creation, transformation and corporate finance experts work in partnership with clients throughout their growth journey to deliver results. It’s this powerful combination that gets Collingwood’s clients where they need to be, faster and more predictably. Our mission is to create value, and change lives. Collingwood, founded in 2006, is headquartered in London with a US office in New York.