Breaking Media
Breaking Media is a privately-held B2B digital media network operating five vertical publications—Above the Law, Breaking Defense, Dealbreaker, Fashionista, and MedCity News—serving professional audiences in legal, defense, finance, fashion, and healthcare through advertising, lead generation, events, and research services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Breaking Media does
Breaking Media is a privately-held B2B digital media network operating five vertical-focused publications: Above the Law (legal), Breaking Defense (defense), Dealbreaker (finance), Fashionista (fashion), and MedCity News (healthcare). Founded circa 2010 and headquartered in New York, the company reaches 5M+ monthly readers across its portfolio and employs 30+ specialized journalists who are domain experts in their respective verticals. The company positions itself as a lean alternative to legacy media, emphasizing direct journalist-to-community connections and the social/professional networking aspects of its audiences rather than relying on large corporate overhead or expensive distribution platforms.
The company's core technology is a standard digital publishing platform serving B2B vertical communities. No proprietary AI/ML capabilities, patents, or advanced technology components are documented. The network operates standard digital publishing infrastructure including brand websites, email newsletters, podcasts (e.g., Above the Law podcast with 30K+ monthly downloads), and social media presence (X/Twitter, Facebook), with the largest social footprint on Fashionista (4.75M+ followers). The five brand sites function as direct-to-consumer digital properties reaching professionals in their respective industries.
Breaking Media's business model is sales-led, with revenue primarily generated through advertising and marketing solutions sold directly to B2B marketers. Revenue streams include sponsored content, white paper sponsorships, high-impact banners, dedicated emails, newsletter sponsorships, event sponsorships, lead generation programs, webinars, recruitment advertising, database/list building, and custom research services. Pricing is quote-based and the company reserves the right to require upfront payment for advertising campaigns, indicating working capital discipline. The company has raised approximately $2.8M in disclosed funding across two rounds (2010 and 2015), suggesting largely organic growth funded by operating cash flow. Leadership includes John Lerner (CEO) and co-founder Carter Burden, with David Smith serving as Managing Director and Publisher.
Breaking Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Breaking Media
- Legal name
- Breaking Media
- Website
- https://breakingmedia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Breaking Media is a privately-held B2B digital media network operating five vertical publications—Above the Law, Breaking Defense, Dealbreaker, Fashionista, and MedCity News—serving professional audiences in legal, defense, finance, fashion, and healthcare through advertising, lead generation, events, and research services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Breaking Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Trade Media and Digital Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
Keywords
Where Breaking Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Breaking Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising: Primary revenue stream from advertising including sponsored content, white paper sponsorships, high impact banners, dedicated emails, newsletter and event sponsorships. The company offers custom advertising solutions and requires upfront payment for campaigns.
- Lead Generation: Lead generation programs connecting marketers with targeted B2B audiences across vertical industries.
- Webinars and Events: Event sponsorships and webinar hosting services for B2B marketers targeting professional communities.
- Recruitment Advertising: Specialized recruitment advertising services for employers seeking to reach professional audiences within legal, defense, finance, fashion, and healthcare sectors.
- Research Services: Custom research services and database/list building capabilities offered to marketers seeking to engage with specific B2B audiences.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Breaking Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Breaking Media operates a network of five B2B digital publications (Above the Law, Breaking Defense, Dealbreaker, Fashionista, MedCity News) covering legal, defense, finance, fashion, and healthcare industries respectively. The company monetizes its 5M+ monthly readers by selling advertising and marketing solutions—including sponsored content, white paper sponsorships, banners, dedicated emails, newsletter and event sponsorships, lead generation programs, webinars, recruitment advertising, and research services—to brands and marketers seeking to reach these targeted professional audiences.
Product overview
Breaking Media is a network of five B2B media publications: Above the Law (legal), Breaking Defense (defense), Dealbreaker (finance), Fashionista (fashion/beauty), and MedCity News (healthcare). Each publication holds a leadership position in its respective industry sector. The company also offers comprehensive advertising and marketing solutions including sponsored content, lead generation, events, webinars, and research services to help marketers engage with professional vertical communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Above the Law: The biggest site for original legal news, covering the legal profession from general counsel and senior partners at major firms to law students. First with salary and bonus information, offering professional advice for legal professionals at all career stages.
- Breaking Defense
- Dealbreaker
- Fashionista
- MedCity News
Products and services
- Above the Law
Companies that use Breaking Media
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Breaking Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Breaking Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Breaking Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Industry Dive: B2B digital media company operating a portfolio of vertical industry publications (similar 'network of vertical B2B brands' model), acquired by Informa for ~$425M. Closest direct comparable in operating model and scale.
- Bisnow: B2B digital media company covering commercial real estate via events, newsletters, and editorial content. Operates with similar vertical-niche B2B audience monetization model.
- Law360: B2B legal news and intelligence platform serving attorneys and legal professionals — directly competes with Above the Law in the legal vertical.
- Modern Healthcare: B2B healthcare business news and intelligence publication serving healthcare executives — directly competes with MedCity News in the healthcare vertical.
- Defense News: B2B defense industry publication covering military, policy, and industry developments — directly competes with Breaking Defense in the defense vertical.
- WWD (Women's Wear Daily): B2B fashion industry news and intelligence publication — directly competes with Fashionista in the fashion/beauty vertical.
Broad incumbents
- Business Insider: Large-scale general business and finance digital media publisher; broad incumbent that overlaps with Dealbreaker's Wall Street coverage and competes for B2B advertising budgets at scale.
- PEI Media: B2B media company covering private equity, infrastructure, and real estate with subscriptions, events, and research — comparable in diversified revenue model and professional-audience monetization.
- Informa Tech (Informa PLC): Global B2B media and events conglomerate operating numerous vertical brands (including acquired Industry Dive); broad incumbent shaping the B2B trade media landscape in which Breaking Media competes.
Emerging players
- Built In: B2B digital media network targeting tech professionals and employers; shares the multi-vertical community-driven B2B media model though focused on tech verticals.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Breaking Media social profiles
Digital presenceBreaking Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Breaking Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Breaking Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Breaking Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Breaking Media
What does Breaking Media do?
Breaking Media operates a network of five B2B digital publications (Above the Law, Breaking Defense, Dealbreaker, Fashionista, MedCity News) covering legal, defense, finance, fashion, and healthcare industries respectively. The company monetizes its 5M+ monthly readers by selling advertising and marketing solutions—including sponsored content, white paper sponsorships, banners, dedicated emails, newsletter and event sponsorships, lead generation programs, webinars, recruitment advertising, and research services—to brands and marketers seeking to reach these targeted professional audiences.
Is Breaking Media a public or private company?
Breaking Media is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Breaking Media founded?
Breaking Media was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Breaking Media based?
Breaking Media is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Breaking Media make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are lead Generation, webinars and Events, recruitment Advertising and research Services.
Who are Breaking Media's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Industry Dive, Bisnow, Law360, Modern Healthcare, Defense News and WWD (Women's Wear Daily). Broad incumbents are Business Insider, PEI Media and Informa Tech (Informa PLC). Built In is listed as an emerging player.
Does Breaking Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for Breaking Media.
What industry is Breaking Media in?
Breaking Media's product category is B2B Trade Media and Digital Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.