Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of Gold Derby, has acquired Vox Media and its leading brands — Vox Studios, Eater, The Verge, SB Nation, PopSugar, The Dodo, Punch, Thrillist and Vox Creative, along with Concert, Vox Media’s premium ad marketplace, and Forte, Vox Media’s first-party data platform. With this acquisition, PMC, which was Vox’s largest shareholder, cements its position as the largest publisher in digital media.
Penske Media has created a new subsidiary PMX, which will combine PMC’s existing publishing portfolio — including Billboard, Variety, Rolling Stone, WWD, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Robb Report, Gold Derby, Artforum, Sportico, She Media, StyleCaster, ARTnews, FN, IndieWire, Vibe, Billboard Music Charts, BeautyInc, and more — with the newly acquired brands, totaling over 25 titles. This new portfolio delivers significant scale, reaching hundreds of millions of people every month, producing more than 300 live events each year, and offering best-in-class ad technology.
Ryan Pauley, most recently president of Vox Media, will join the company as president of PMX, overseeing the newly combined portfolio of brands. He will be based in New York and report to Penske Media Corporation Chairman and CEO Jay Penske and PMC’s President Craig Perreault. Tom Finn, PMC’s executive vice president of strategy and operations, has been promoted to chief operating officer of PMX, and Ken Delalcazar, PMC’s executive vice president of finance, has broadened his scope to include chief financial officer of PMX.
“I am very proud to welcome this tremendous team and leading brands to Penske Media,” said founder and CEO Jay Penske. “We have long admired these unique brands and companies, and I’m thrilled to welcome Ryan Pauley to PMC. Ryan is a top executive who has demonstrated a clear ability to build leading technology and evolve media businesses, making him exceptionally well-positioned to lead PMX’s next chapter of growth.”
“These distinct digital brands bring highly engaged audiences with them, complement our existing portfolio, strengthen our content offering, and expand the possibilities for the hundreds of live events PMX will produce each year,” said Perreault. “We believe we are uniquely positioned for the future as the largest publisher in digital media and thrilled to welcome Ryan and his talented team.”
“I’m honored to step into this role and help lead what I believe is media’s strongest portfolio of brands, ones that have not only shaped history but continue to shape culture every day,” said Pauley. “Across music, entertainment, food, sports, fashion, beauty, technology and art, this portfolio influences and creates culture with best-in-class brands, extraordinary authority, and deeply engaged audiences and communities. Our opportunity now is to steward and grow these brands with a continued focus on brand leadership, editorial strength, audience connection, community, and live events. I’m grateful to Jay Penske for his leadership and vision. He has continued to deeply invest in journalism, live events and experiences, and believing in the power of content and the enduring value of iconic brands.”
