Uswitch.com - the UK online price comparison service - has been snapped up by US outfit EW Scripps for £210m ($366m). At this stage it's not known if Scripps used an online price comparison service to ensure it got the best price for uSwitch. No matter.

Founded in 2000, uSwitch.com is an online service that helps consumers compare rates for home phone, digital TV, broadband, and other utilities. Free for consumers, uSwitch.com enables users to compare different utility and energy services to get the best deal and save money.

What's more, the new owners are already lining up the business to expand into Europe and reckon it would do well on the Continent.

Scripps is a US media outfit with interests in cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, ecommerce and interactive media. Last June it bought Shopzilla, an online service that helps punters source and compare prices for thousands of products. ®

Related stories

• uSwitch up for sale (11 June 2009)
• uSwitch cans IT workers (18 September 2007)
• BT, NTL and AOL slammed in broadband survey (5 May 2006)
• BT, uSwitch clash over transparency of switching sites (29 March 2006)
• USwitch calls in advisors to prep sale (20 January 2006)
• USwitch.com mulls sale - report (15 December 2005)
• Ofcom 'fails to support consumers' over mobile charges (7 June 2005)
• Carphone slips in 'stealth' price rise (18 March 2005)
• BT sneaks in 'stealth price rise' (5 January 2005)
• uSwitch unveils broadband service checker (8 November 2004)
• UpMyStreet saved for Nation (15 May 2003)