G/O Media

Name

G/O Media

Legal name

G/O Media

Website

https://g-omedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Publishing / Online Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications (MPACAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Publishing Analytics, Personalization & Ad-Tech (MPAJAMAI), Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

Keywords

• Digital publishing
• Online media brands
• Editorial journalism
• Digital advertising
• Reader subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Digital advertising revenue generated from website traffic and audience engagement across media properties
2. Membership/Subscriptions: Revenue from memberships and subscription-based offerings for engaged readers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

G/O Media operated as a premium digital publishing company running a portfolio of 12 independent editorial brands (including Deadspin, Quartz, Jalopnik, TheRoot.com, and The Inventory) producing thought-leading journalism across sports, business news, automotive, and lifestyle verticals. Revenue was generated through digital advertising against audience traffic and reader memberships/subscriptions, supported by AI experimentation in content production, audience targeting using real signals, and ad serving innovation.

Product overview

G/O Media was a premium digital publishing company operating as a platform of 12 distinct media brands. The portfolio included TheRoot.com (African-American media), Deadspin (sports media), Quartz (business news - acquired 2022, sold 2025), and Jalopnik (automotive content - sold to Static Media 2025). The company ceased operations after divesting all its brands, with G/O Media formally concluding its business activities. The portfolio was characterized by thought-leading, independent journalism with passionate audience engagement across verticals including sports, lifestyle, finance, and automotive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deadspin Sports-focused digital media brand that was part of G/O Media's portfolio, covering sports, sports-related issues, and sports-adjacent stories. G/O Media returned the site to previous traffic levels and made it profitable for the first time in many years, eventually selling it for more than the purchase price.
• Quartz Prominent digital business news organization acquired by G/O Media in 2022, focused on business journalism and memberships. Subsequently divested to Redbrick in April 2025.
• Jalopnik Well-known automotive digital platform previously owned by G/O Media, serving car enthusiasts with automotive content. Acquired by Static Media in February 2025.
• TheRoot.com African-American-oriented digital media brand that was part of G/O Media's portfolio and was sold at the end of 2024.
• The Inventory Digital media brand within G/O Media's portfolio that was sold alongside Quartz to Redbrick in April 2025.
• Quartz Membership Subscription/membership offering tied to Quartz's business journalism content for engaged readers, providing a recurring-revenue stream beyond advertising.

Quantifiable outcome

• Returned Deadspin to previous traffic levels and made it profitable for the first time in years, eventually selling for more than purchase price

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• Static MediaminorOthers · 1 January 2025Static Media acquired Jalopnik, a well-known automotive digital platform previously owned by G/O Media. This marked Static Media's expansion into the automotive content vertical.
• RedbrickminorOthers · 1 January 2025Redbrick acquired Quartz and The Inventory from G/O Media to support its growth strategy and expand into next-generation media, with plans to leverage enhanced advertising and monetization features via integration with Paved.
• Quartz (formerly)majorOthers · 1 January 2022G/O Media acquired Quartz in 2022, a prominent digital business news organization. The acquisition aimed to leverage synergies to grow traffic, memberships, and advertising revenue without layoffs. Quartz has since been sold to Redbrick.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• BuzzFeed: Multi-brand digital media company explicitly named by G/O Media management as a peer experiencing shareholder value erosion and employee downsizing in the same challenging market environment. Both operate portfolio-style digital publishing models.
• Business Insider (Insider Inc): Digital business news publisher named by G/O Media management as a comparable peer that has experienced value erosion. Comparable scale and similar vertical focus to G/O Media's Quartz property.
• Gizmodo Media Group: Former sister portfolio of digital media brands (Gizmodo, Jezebel, Lifehacker, etc.) that G/O Media acquired and operated. Represents the predecessor/predecessor-adjacent portfolio model and remains a direct comparable in vertical-specific digital publishing.
• Vox Media: Multi-brand digital media holding company explicitly mentioned alongside Vice, BuzzFeed, and Business Insider as a peer facing 'real shareholder value erosion.' Operates analogous portfolio of editorial brands (Vox, The Verge, SB Nation).
• Mashable: Independently operated digital media brand in the same horizontal tech/culture/lifestyle vertical space, facing comparable walled-garden and AdTech headwinds as G/O Media's portfolio.
• Vice Media: Editorially driven digital media company cited by G/O Media's CEO as a comparable peer that experienced significant value erosion. Operates a similar multi-brand editorial portfolio targeting younger digital audiences.

Emerging players

• Redbrick: Acquirer of G/O Media's Quartz and The Inventory assets in April 2025. Operates in next-generation digital media and represents a peer in the same fragmented open-web publishing ecosystem.
• Static Media: Digital media acquirer that purchased G/O Media's Jalopnik brand in February 2025. Direct competitor in the open-web digital publishing space and an active consolidator in the same market segment.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gomediainc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about G/O Media