Tag: Valnet

Valnet Acquisitions

Posted on by Logan Abner

A Comprehensive Look at the Acquisitions Completed by Valnet Inc. in the Digital Publishing Industry:

 

Valnet has been steadily expanding its presence in the digital publishing sphere over the past 10+ years. They have acquired a diverse range of content and publishing properties that cater to various market sectors including entertainment, gaming, technology, travel and parenting.

In this article, we take a closer look at the acquisitions made by Valnet to understand how the company has grown its portfolio over time, as well as a complete list of the transactions WeBrokr has been involved in.

1. BabyGaga (2014) BabyGaga is a legacy parenting website that offers advice, tips, and support for new and expecting parents. Valnet’s acquisition of BabyGaga was one of the company’s first completed acquisitions in digital publishing, and expanded the company’s content offerings to cater to the family and parenting demographics.

  • WeBrokr represented BabyGaga ownership in the transaction.

 

2. Screen Rant (2015) Screen Rant is one of the most popular movie news websites in the world. The brand offers the latest updates on film, television, and related entertainment content. Since the acquisition by Valnet in 2015, the website has expanded its coverage significantly and has attracted a much larger audience. Screen Rant also boasts an enormous YouTube audience, with over 10m subscribers across the brands 5 channels. Screen Rant is Valnet’s flagship brand.

  • WeBrokr represented ScreenRant.com founder Vic Holtreman in the acquisition. More info can be found here on the ScreenRant.com acquisition.

 

3. Comic Book Resources (CBR) (2016) CBR is the largest website dedicated to comic book specific news and reviews in the world. The brand is also one of the most visited general entertainment, film, movie and TV news publishing properties. CBR provides insights, reviews, and analysis on comic books, movies, and TV shows. CBR saw a massive influx of traffic following Marvel / Disney’s continued focus on bringing legacy comic books to the big screens throughout the 2010’s. Valnet’s acquisition of CBR solidified its presence in the comic book and pop culture sector.

  • WeBrokr represented Comic Book Resources founder Jonah Weiland in the acquisition. More info can be found here regarding the CBR.com acquisition.

 

4. Game Rant (2019) Game Rant is a gaming-focused website that offers news, reviews, features, and insights about video games and the gaming industry. Created by the founder of Screen Rant (Vic Holtreman) in 2009, the website covers various gaming content, including consoles, PC gaming, and mobile gaming. Valnet’s acquisition of Game Rant in 2019 was the company’s first major video gaming acquisition, and has become their flagship gaming brand. The acquisition also reunited Game Rant with it’s sister-site Screen Rant.

 

5. Collider (2020) Collider is a well-known entertainment news brand founded in 2005 that covers movies, television shows, and pop culture. Valnet’s acquisition of Collider in late 2020 further expanded their entertainment portfolio of premium web properties. According to SimilarWeb the monthly web traffic on Collider.com had more than doubled in the two years following the acquisition. Collider is also home to a large YouTube channel with over half a billion views.

  • WeBrokr represented the Collider ownership team in the acquisition.

 

6. MakeUseOf (2020) – MakeUseOf is a technology-focused website that provides tips, tutorials, and reviews for a wide range of software, hardware, and gadgets. The site covers topics such as mobile devices, computers, smart home technology, and internet services. The acquisition of MakeUseOf.com by Valnet in 2020 further was Valnet’s first foray into the the technology publishing sector, and is now Valnet’s flagship technology-facing brand.

 

7. Android Police (2021) Android Police is a popular website dedicated to news, reviews, and analysis about Android devices, the Android ecosystem and general tech. Valnet’s acquisition of Android Police further strengthened its presence in the technology publishing sector.

  • WeBrokr represented Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii in the transaction. More details can be found here regarding the Android Police acquisition.

 

8. Simple Flying (2021) Simple Flying is the largest aviation news website in the world, and provides updates and commentary on the aviation industry. Simple Flying was Valnet’s first (and currently only) acquisition within the general ‘travel’ vertical. Simple Flying was founded by serial entrepreneur Arran Rice in 2018.

 

9. Snack Media (2022) Snack Media was founded in 2007 and grew to become one of the largest digital media companies in the world for sports content – specifically European football / soccer. The company’s largest digital publications include GiveMeSport, FootballFanCast and Football League World. Valnet’s acquisition of Snack Media was their first acquisition within the sports publishing vertical.

 

10. Pocket-Lint.com (2022) Pocket-Lint is a technology news website that covers gadgets, consumer electronics, and technology trends. Valnet’s acquisition of Pocket-Lint was their third acquisition in the tech publishing sector.

 

11. Busy Pixel Media (2022) Busy Pixel Media acquired XDA-Developers in 2009, and grew their portfolio to include other large tech publishing brands. At the time of acquisition in February 2022 the Busy Pixel portfolio was bringing in 20 million sessions per month. Included in the acquisition of Busy Pixel was the App Advice brand, a community-driven website that offers news, reviews, and discussions about mobile technology.

  • WeBrokr was not involved in the Busy Pixel Media acquisition by Valnet, but did represent App Advice founder Mahmoud Hafez in 2021 when he sold the company to Busy Pixel Media. More details can be found here regarding the AppAdvice.com acquisition.

 

12. Top Speed (2022) Top Speed is a website dedicated to automotive news, reviews, and information, covering a wide range of topics such as car releases, industry updates, motorsports, and more. The site caters to car enthusiasts and professionals within the automotive industry. Valnet’s acquisition of Top Speed in 2022 was the company’s first major acquisition within the automotive publishing sector.

 

13. DualShockers (2022) DualShockers is a gaming news web property that covers video game news & reviews, gaming hardware, and insider gaming commentary. Valnet’s acquisition of DualShockers was the company’s first major gaming-focused acquisition since they had acquired GameRant in 2019.

  • WeBrokr represented UK-based GRV Media in the transaction. More details can be found here regarding the Dual Shockers acquisition.

 

The above list of Valnet acquisitions is accurate as of March 2023, this page will be updated periodically as more transactions are completed.

DualShockers Acquisition by Valnet

Posted on by Logan Abner

DualShockers.com acquisition by Valnet Inc.

WeBrokr is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of DualShockers, which has been acquired by Montreal-based Valnet Inc. DualShockers.com was founded in 2009 by Yaris Gutierrez, Joel Taveras, and Al Zamora as a passion-project. After more than a decade of operation, DualShockers was then acquired by London-based publisher GRV Media.

Vic Daniels & Graham Morris of GRV Media were extremely successful in their turn-around of DualShockers, and they were able to dramatically increase user engagement & monthly sessions within only a year of Ownership. DualShockers is now one of the largest gaming-focused publications in the world, bringing in more than 7,000,000 monthly sessions as of April 2022. (SimilarWeb)

WeBrokr represented and advised GRV Media from listing through successful completion of sale.

Logan Abner of WeBrokr had this to say regarding the acquisition:

“We are very delighted to announce the successful Sell-Side representation of DualShockers. Vic, Graham, and the DualShockers team were able to turn DualShockers.com into one of the most trafficked gaming properties in the world within a very short period of time. They have become an authoritative source for gaming news, reviews and guides for dedicated gamers around the world. We are excited to see DualShockers continue to thrive alongside Valnet’s growing portfolio of gaming brands!”

Official WeBrokr Press Release – Cision

Official Valnet Press Release – Business Wire

AndroidPolice.com Acquired by Valnet Inc.

Posted on by Logan Abner
WeBrokr completes acquisition of AndroidPolice.com to Valnet
 

WeBrokr is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of AndroidPolice.com, which was acquired in August 2021 by Montreal based digital media company Valnet. Android Police, also known as AP, was founded by Artem Russakovskii in 2009. Android Police is the leading Android-focused publishing property in the world, primarily focusing on android news, general tech tips, and also gaming reviews. At the time of acquisition AndroidPolice.com was bringing in 7,00,000 monthly sessions, primarily from a US based audience.

Logan Abner, Founder & CEO of WeBrokr, represented the sale of Android Police through its Private Sell-Side Listing Service. WeBrokr understands that absolute discretion during the listing + acquisition process is extremely important to many Founders of premium publishing properties. WeBrokr has perfected its Private Listing Service to ensure complete confidentially for all its clients from the time of listing, all the way through to successful acquisition.

Official WeBrokr Press Release – Cision

Official Valnet Press Release – Business Wire

AppAdvice Acquisition by Busy Pixel Media / XDA-Developers

Posted on by Logan Abner

WeBrokr is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of AppAdvice.com, which has been acquired by USA-based Busy Pixel Media. AppAdvice was founded in 2008 by Mahmoud Hafez.

Mahmoud and his team grew the AppAdvice brand into one of the most respectable and well known Apple iOS App communities in the world. The news and reviews they provided to App Store users was unparalleled at time of launch, and remained an extremely lucrative business model for the entire duration of the brands existence.

WeBrokr represented and advised Mahmoud and the AppAdvice team from listing through successful completion of acquisition.

 

Logan Abner of WeBrokr had this to say regarding the acquisition of AppAdvice:

“We are very pleased to announce the successful deal completion of AppAdvice. When Mahmoud launched the brand in 2008 it was so incredibly far ahead of its time. Not many realized the true potential of the Apple app store in 2008, and looking back over the years it’s easy to see now why it was such a success. The brand helped many millions of people across the globe with their trustworthy reviews of all the iOS apps. We’re excited to see what the great team at Busy Pixel Media / XDA-Developer has planned for AppAdvice.com going forward!”

AppAdvice.com Acquisition Update as of 2023:

Busy Pixel Media, along with AppAdvice, has been acquired by Valnet Inc.

ScreenRant.com Acquisition by Valnet

Posted on by Logan Abner

ScreenRant.com-acquisition-webrokr-valnet

WeBrokr is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of ScreenRant.com, which was acquired by Montreal-based Valnet Inc in February 2015. Screen Rant was founded in 2003 by Vic Holtreman as a small movie blog. At the time of acquisition Screen Rant was one of the top 10 largest entertainment publishing properties in the world.

As of August 2022 ScreenRant.com is now one of the top 500 most visited web sites in the world.

WeBrokr represented and advised Vic Holtreman from listing through successful completion of sale.

Logan Abner of WeBrokr had this to say regarding the acquisition:

“We are very delighted to announce the successful Sell-Side representation of Screen Rant. Vic and his team were able to turn Screen Rant into one of the most well known entertainment news destinations in the world, all while the entertainment news category is known to be one of the most competitive in digital media.”