Dive summary:

• The value of metasearch and loyal users is $1.8 billion for Priceline as it acquires Kayak for that amount.
• Priceline’s acquisition could help Kayak’s international growth, which has been limited so far.
• The Kayak IPO debuted in July and has held steady between $27 and $36 per share.

From the article:

Previous acquisitions for Priceline, including Booking.com and ActiveHotels, have focused on hospitality and have been in the $100 million range. Kayak is a meaningful departure from that for sure.\

Less than a year after Expedia shed its media presence of TripAdvisor, Priceline is doubling down on media in the form of Kayak. This is a huge step in looking for value in travel search and advertising platforms, not just through the transaction channel.