LBG Media

What LBG Media does

LBG Media Plc is a UK-headquartered, AIM-listed (LSE: LBG) multi-brand, multi-channel digital entertainment business targeting young adults aged 18-34. Founded in 2012 by Alexander (Solly) Solomou and Arian Kalantari and headquartered in Manchester, the company operates flagship brand LADbible alongside interest-specific sub-brands SPORTbible, GAMINGbible, FOODbible, and Tyla, plus acquired brands UNILAD (2018), Betches Media (2023), and Uncovered Holdings (2026). Content reaches approximately 509 million people globally across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, X, and six owned websites, with offices in London, New York, Sydney, Dublin, and Auckland.

The proprietary technology stack centres on AI-enabled content operations: Mission Control tracks cross-platform content performance in real time; EMMA is an AI virtual traffic manager that saves over 4,000 hours annually; LAD RADAR identifies emerging cultural trends; ARNOLD is an AI video tool that compresses a 69-day manual spell-check process to 29 hours; and The Brief Unpacker converts client briefs into creative briefs. LADnation, a first-party youth research panel of over 55,000 members, and the 2025 LADbible Youth Census (8,300+ respondents) anchor a first-party data flywheel. The company is an OpenAI enterprise customer and continues exploring video generation, dubbing, and lip-syncing.

The business model operates two revenue streams. Direct revenue (bespoke branded content campaigns for blue-chip advertisers and agencies such as WPP, GroupM, Omnicom, Publicis, and Dentsu Aegis) grew 95% to £37.6m in H1 2026 (72% of Group revenue), with UK clients 16 and US clients 7 each exceeding $1m annually. Indirect revenue (programmatic web advertising and platform revenue-sharing with Meta and YouTube) declined materially due to Meta algorithm changes and lower search traffic. Owned-IP sponsorship (e.g., 'Snack Wars', 'Agree To Disagree') grew seven-fold. FY2025 Group revenue was £92.2m with £14m PBT and £30.8m cash; H1 2026 revenue was £52.4m (+19%, +22% at constant currency).

Name

LBG Media

Legal name

LBG Media Plc

Website

https://lbgmedia.co.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

LBG Media Plc is an AIM-listed multi-brand digital youth publisher operating LADbible, SPORTbible, GAMINGbible, and acquired brands across social platforms and websites to reach 509 million people globally, monetising through branded content for blue-chip advertisers and platform revenue-sharing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Revenue: Revenue generated from provision of content marketing services to blue-chip brands and media agencies. LBG Media creates bespoke branded content and commercial marketing solutions distributed across social media and websites. In 1H26, Direct revenue grew 95% to £37.6m, accounting for 72% of Group revenues. UK Direct revenue was £20.6m and US Direct revenue was £16.1m in 1H26.
2. Indirect Revenue - Social: Revenue-sharing agreements with social media platforms (Meta Facebook, YouTube, etc.) where platforms display ads near LBG Media's content. In 1H26, Indirect Social revenue declined 44% to £8.0m due to Meta algorithm changes.
3. Indirect Revenue - Web: Revenue from owned and operated websites through programmatic advertising and ad placements. In 1H26, Indirect Web revenue was £6.5m, down 36% due to lower traffic from search engines and algorithm changes.
4. IP/Sponsorship Revenue: Sponsorship revenues from owned IP such as 'Snack Wars' and 'Agree To Disagree'. Sponsorship revenues increased seven-fold from approximately £0.5m in 1H25 to approximately £3.5m in 1H26.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LBG Media is a multinational, multi-brand digital youth publisher that creates and distributes entertaining, culturally relevant content across social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X, YouTube, TikTok) and owned websites. The company monetizes its audience reach primarily through bespoke branded content marketing services sold to blue-chip brands and media agencies, with secondary revenue from programmatic advertising and revenue-sharing agreements with social platforms.

Product overview

LBG Media is a multi-brand, multi-channel digital entertainment business operating as a unified platform for reaching young adults. The core portfolio includes flagship brand LADbible alongside interest-specific sub-brands (SPORTbible, GAMINGbible, FOODbible, Tyla) and acquired properties (UNILAD, Betches Media, Uncovered). The company operates two revenue streams: Direct (bespoke branded content for blue-chip advertisers) and Indirect (revenue-sharing with social platforms). Proprietary AI tools including Mission Control, EMMA, LAD RADAR, and ARNOLD power content optimization and workflow automation. The June 2026 acquisition of Uncovered expanded production capabilities with VFX and AI-enabled creative workflows, while the October 2023 Betches Media acquisition provided US market entry for women-focused content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joyride (Studio Joyride): In-house branded content arm creating direct relationships with brands and marketing agencies
• LADnation
• Mission Control
• EMMA
• LAD RADAR
• ARNOLD
• The Brief Unpacker

Products and services

• Branded Content Marketing Services Bespoke branded content and commercial marketing solutions created and distributed across social media and owned websites on behalf of blue-chip brands and media agencies. Quote-based pricing with multi-year contracts; 89% of UK Direct revenue is repeat business; 16 UK clients and 7 US clients generate over $1m annually.
• Sponsored Owned IP (Snack Wars, Agree To Disagree) Branded sponsorship of LBG Media's owned intellectual property formats including Snack Wars and Agree To Disagree, enabling repeatable, higher-margin sponsorship revenues from advertisers seeking integration with established content IP.
• Studio Joyride Creative Services In-house creative studio producing branded video and social content for advertisers. Operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary (Studio Joyride Limited).
• Uncovered Social-First Creative Agency Social-first creative agency services delivered through Uncovered, specializing in TikTok and Instagram content strategy for brands. Recognized as #1 TikTok partner in the EU and Campaign UK's Social Media Agency of the Year 2025.
• LADnation Youth Research Panel Dedicated youth research panel with over 55,000 members providing audience insights into young adult behaviors and preferences, available for use by brands and advertisers for campaign planning and validation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 509 million global audience reach
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uncovered Holdings LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Acquired 75% stake in Uncovered Holdings Limited, a Gen-Z native social-first creative agency specializing in TikTok and Instagram strategy. Founded in 2017 by Chris Cookson and Catherine Orr, Uncovered generates £10.2m revenue and £2.7m adjusted EBITDA (2025). Acquisition for £26.8m initial cash consideration plus up to £7m earnout.
• PubityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Joint venture where LBG Media holds equity stake; Pubity's increased investment in establishing brand presence in US market affects LBG Media's share of profit from joint venture
• Betches Media, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2023Acquired US-based women-focused content brand Betches Media for $24m with potential additional payments up to $30m based on performance targets. Operates as standalone business collaborating with LBG Media's US team for brand partnership growth. Acquired to expand in US market leveraging engaged social following targeting women 18-34.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WPP: Global advertising holding company; both a key channel partner (LBG works with GroupM, OMD, etc.) and a broad incumbent competing for the same blue-chip branded-content budgets LBG monetises through its Direct revenue stream.
• BBC Studios: UK-based public broadcaster's commercial arm producing and distributing content globally; broader incumbent in UK media that overlaps with LBG on advertiser-funded content production and youth-skewed digital distribution.
• Reach plc: Largest UK national and regional news publisher, operating a broad portfolio of digital and print titles with branded content capabilities; overlaps with LBG on UK digital publishing scale and advertiser relationships but covers a much wider demographic.
• Trusted Media Brands: Multi-brand digital and print publisher (Reader's Digest, Taste of Home, The Family Handyman) with diversified audience and branded content revenue; comparable as a multi-brand digital publisher monetising via advertisers, though LBG is more youth-skewed.

Direct peers

• Bleacher Report: Sports-focused digital publisher owned by Warner Bros. Discovery targeting younger fans via social-first video and branded content; directly comparable to SPORTbible's audience and revenue model.
• Vox Media: US digital media holding company with multiple interest-led brands (SB Nation, The Verge, Eater) and a significant branded content studio (Vox Creative), closely analogous to LBG's SPORTbible/GAMINGbible/FOODbible portfolio and direct advertiser work.
• Group Nine Media: Digital-first media company (NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker, Thrillist) producing social video for younger audiences and monetising through branded content; structurally similar to LBG's multi-brand youth publisher playbook.
• BuzzFeed: US-listed digital youth publisher producing social-first content across multiple verticals with branded content and commerce monetisation, directly comparable to LBG's multi-brand portfolio and advertiser-funded model.
• Vice Media: Multi-brand digital media company targeting younger audiences with editorial content, branded video and agency-style partnerships; operates a similar direct-revenue plus platform-share model to LBG.

Emerging players

• Overtime: Sports content brand targeting Gen Z with short-form video and a growing merchandise and direct-to-consumer revenue layer; partial overlap with SPORTbible on audience and social-first sports content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lbg-media-plc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about LBG Media