Group Nine Media
Group Nine Media operates Vox Media, a top-10 US digital media company managing premium editorial brands (Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, SB Nation) reaching 102 million monthly users, monetized through advertising, events, and licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Group Nine Media does
Group Nine Media operates a top-10 US digital media portfolio under the Vox Media banner, comprising more than fifteen editorial brands including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, SB Nation, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Dodo, The Strategist, Intelligencer, Thrillist, Popsugar, Curbed, Grub Street, and Punch. As of September 2025 the portfolio reached 102 million monthly users, generated over 1 billion monthly video views, accumulated 325 million social media followers, and delivered 59 million monthly podcast downloads, with editorial recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, National Magazine Awards, and Emmy Awards. Distribution spans owned digital platforms, social media, streaming services, the Vox Media Podcast Network (a top-10 US podcast network), live events, and the Concert programmatic marketplace. The company has disclosed approximately $190 million in funding across rounds led primarily by Warner Bros Discovery with Axel Springer, Lerer Hippeau, Greycroft, RRE Ventures, and IVP, and has executed strategic acquisitions including Jash (2017) and POPSUGAR (2019).
The core technology stack centers on Forte, a proprietary cookie-less AI platform that processes text, video, audio, and structured-data signals to connect cultural context with consumer action across owned properties, and on Concert, a publisher-led advertising marketplace using first-party data for audience targeting that has expanded beyond display into social and video inventory. Complementary operational units include Vox Creative (in-house branded content studio), Vox Media Studios (video production), and the Vox Media Podcast Network (anchored by shows such as Pivot, Criminal, Today Explained, Decoder with Nilay Patel, and The Vergecast). Revenue is generated through four streams: advertising (display, video, social, podcast via direct sales and Concert programmatic), subscriptions and content, events (edit-led tentpoles and custom brand activations), and content licensing. Pricing is uniformly quote-based across properties, placements, and campaign types and is not publicly disclosed.
Group Nine Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Group Nine Media
- Legal name
- Vox Media, LLC
- Website
- https://groupninemedia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Group Nine Media operates Vox Media, a top-10 US digital media company managing premium editorial brands (Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, SB Nation) reaching 102 million monthly users, monetized through advertising, events, and licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Group Nine Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Media Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)
Keywords
Where Group Nine Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Group Nine Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: Primary revenue stream from brand advertisers purchasing across multiple advertising solutions including display, video, social, and podcast advertising. Revenue generated through Concert programmatic marketplace, direct sales, and custom branded content partnerships.
- Subscription/Content Revenue: Revenue from premium content subscriptions and paid editorial products. Some brands offer subscription tiers for exclusive content access.
- Events Revenue: Revenue generated from live events, edit-led tentpoles, and client custom events with specialized activation opportunities.
- Licensing and Permissions: Revenue from content licensing, brand licensing, and permissions for use of editorial content and brand assets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Group Nine Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Group Nine Media is a digital-first media company that operates a portfolio of premium editorial brands spanning news, technology, sports, fashion, food, entertainment, and lifestyle, attracting over 100 million monthly users and more than 1 billion monthly video views. The company monetizes this audience through display, video, social, and podcast advertising sold via direct sales and the Concert programmatic marketplace, supplemented by custom branded content from its in-house Vox Creative studio, live event sponsorships, premium podcast advertising, and content licensing.
Product overview
Vox Media operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on a portfolio of premium editorial brands spanning technology, food, fashion, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. The core offering is a collection of authoritative editorial properties including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, SB Nation, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Dodo, The Strategist, Intelligencer, Thrillist, Popsugar, Curbed, Grub Street, and Punch, which collectively attract over 102 million monthly users, 325 million social media followers, and generate over 1 billion monthly video views. Complementing the editorial brands are Vox Media Studios (video production), the Vox Media Podcast Network (award-winning podcasts with 59 million monthly downloads), Concert (a data-powered advertising marketplace), Vox Creative (in-house branded content studio), and Forte (a proprietary cookie-less AI platform for audience intelligence and predictive advertising). The portfolio generates revenue through advertising solutions including display, social, video, podcast, and events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vox Media Studios: Production studio creating video content across the company's media properties.
- Vox Media Podcast Network
- Concert
- Vox Creative
- Forte
Quantifiable outcome
- 102 million monthly users
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Group Nine Media
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Group Nine Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature2 records
Group Nine Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Group Nine Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BuzzFeed, Inc. Digital media company operating a portfolio of news, entertainment, and lifestyle brands with heavy advertising and social-video distribution dependence. Directly comparable in business model (advertising-led, programmatic, multi-brand) and audience strategy.
- Vice Media: Premium digital media company targeting millennial/Gen Z audiences with editorial brands, video production, and branded content. Closely comparable as a multi-brand publisher monetized through advertising, branded content studios, and licensing — overlapping directly with Vox Media's portfolio approach.
- Dotdash Meredith: Operating subsidiary of IAC that publishes a portfolio of enthusiast and lifestyle editorial brands (Investopedia, The Spruce, People, Better Homes & Gardens, etc.) monetized primarily through advertising and commerce. Directly comparable in multi-brand digital publishing model.
- Insider Inc. (Business Insider): Digital-first business and lifestyle news publisher monetized through advertising, subscriptions, and events. Comparable in scale of audience reach, brand-advertising reliance, and use of premium editorial positioning for ad CPMs.
- The Dodo (under Group Nine/Vox Media): Animal-focused digital video brand within Vox Media's portfolio, one of the largest social-video publishers in its vertical. Comparable as a digital-first vertical publisher monetized through social video advertising, often cited alongside Vox Media for audience scale.
Broad incumbents
- Condé Nast: Established global multi-brand magazine publisher (Vogue, The New Yorker, Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair). Comparable as a prestige editorial publisher with advertising and licensing revenue, though much larger and more diversified across print and international markets than Vox Media.
- Hearst Communications: Large diversified media conglomerate operating newspapers, magazines (Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Elle), TV stations, and digital properties. Comparable in multi-brand editorial portfolio and advertising-revenue model, but at substantially larger scale and with broadcast and print assets Vox Media does not operate.
- Penske Media Corporation: Private media company publishing prestige titles including Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and WWD. Comparable in premium editorial portfolio and advertising-driven model, particularly in entertainment verticals that overlap with Vulture and The Verge.
- The New York Times Company: Publicly-traded publisher of The New York Times and other titles (Wirecutter, The Athletic). Comparable as a premium digital publisher competing for the same brand-advertising dollars and subscriber attention; differs via much larger subscription business and public-market discipline.
Regional players
- iHeartMedia: Leading US radio broadcaster and podcast publisher, owner of the iHeartPodcast Network. Directly comparable to Vox Media Podcast Network as a US podcast advertising competitor and partner, with significant overlap in award-winning podcast inventory.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Group Nine Media social profiles
Digital presenceGroup Nine Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Group Nine Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Group Nine Media subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries19 records
Group Nine Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Group Nine Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Group Nine Media
What does Group Nine Media do?
Group Nine Media is a digital-first media company that operates a portfolio of premium editorial brands spanning news, technology, sports, fashion, food, entertainment, and lifestyle, attracting over 100 million monthly users and more than 1 billion monthly video views. The company monetizes this audience through display, video, social, and podcast advertising sold via direct sales and the Concert programmatic marketplace, supplemented by custom branded content from its in-house Vox Creative studio, live event sponsorships, premium podcast advertising, and content licensing.
Is Group Nine Media a public or private company?
Group Nine Media is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Group Nine Media founded?
Group Nine Media was founded in 2013. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Group Nine Media based?
Group Nine Media is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Group Nine Media make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Advertising Revenue is the primary driver. The others are subscription/Content Revenue, events Revenue and licensing and Permissions.
Who are Group Nine Media's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BuzzFeed, Inc., Vice Media, Dotdash Meredith, Insider Inc. (Business Insider) and The Dodo (under Group Nine/Vox Media). Broad incumbents are Condé Nast, Hearst Communications, Penske Media Corporation and The New York Times Company. iHeartMedia is listed as a regional player.
Does Group Nine Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for Group Nine Media.
What industry is Group Nine Media in?
Group Nine Media's product category is Digital Media Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAD, Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAL, Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.