Channel Futures

What Channel Futures does

Channel Futures was a B2B media publication brand under Informa TechTarget, a subsidiary of UK-listed Informa PLC, serving executives at North American technology channel partners — the ecosystem of companies that resell, deliver, and add value to technology products and services, including managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), system integrators, and technology consultants. Its core product was the MSP 501, an annual ranking of managed service providers evaluated on recurring revenue, profitability, operational efficiency, and business health, complemented by daily news, analysis, and a portfolio of email newsletters covering channel leaders, cloud, networking, security, AI & automation, emerging tech, and policy.

The publication operated as a digital media platform with standard web-based content delivery, relying on advertising, sponsored content, and events/conferences as primary revenue streams. In 2024, the business combination of Industry Dive, the Informa Tech media brands, and TechTarget formed Informa TechTarget, creating the umbrella under which editorial operations were consolidated. In October 2025, the Channel Futures brand and website were sunsetted and replaced by Channel Dive, a new publication that consolidated seven prior newsletters into a single daily newsletter and assembled a team drawing from Channel Futures alumni and adjacent Informa TechTarget titles. Editorial leadership is provided by Editor-in-Chief Phil Harvey, who also oversees Light Reading. The MSP 501 franchise continues under Channel Dive, preserving the primary differentiated asset and recurring revenue anchor.

Name

Channel Futures

Legal name

Informa TechTarget

Website

https://channelfutures.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Channel Futures was a B2B media publication under Informa TechTarget serving North American technology channel partners with daily news, the annual MSP 501 ranking, and industry events. The brand was sunsetted in 2025 and replaced by Channel Dive.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Trade Media / Technology Channel Publications

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

Keywords

• B2B technology media
• Channel partner news
• Managed services ranking
• IT channel publications
• MSP industry benchmarks

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and sponsorships: Channel Futures generates revenue through advertising placements on its digital platform and newsletter, serving technology vendors and solution providers seeking to reach channel professionals.
2. Events and conferences: The publication organizes and hosts events and conferences for the technology channel community, generating revenue through registration fees, sponsorships, and exhibitor fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Channel Futures was a B2B media publication delivering daily news, analysis, and industry rankings for executives at North American technology channel partners, including managed service providers, value-added resellers, and system integrators. Its flagship product was the MSP 501 annual ranking, the technology channel's largest global ranking of managed service providers evaluated on recurring revenue, profitability, and operational efficiency. The publication also operated a consolidated daily newsletter covering channel industry developments, with content delivered through its website, email newsletter, social media channels, and RSS feeds.

Product overview

Channel Futures was a media publication brand focused on delivering news and analysis for executives at North American channel partners—the ecosystem of companies that resell, deliver and add value to technology products and services. Its primary product offering was the MSP 501 List, an annual ranking of top managed service providers. The Channel Futures brand and website were sunsetted and replaced by Channel Dive (also under Informa TechTarget), which continues coverage of the channel partner ecosystem through a consolidated daily newsletter and website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MSP 501: Annual ranking list of top 501 managed service providers globally, evaluating companies on recurring revenue, profitability, operational efficiency, and business health

Products and services

• MSP 501 List The technology channel's largest annual ranking of managed service providers globally, evaluating companies on recurring revenue, profitability, operational efficiency, and overall business health. It serves as a benchmark for the technology services industry and is used by MSPs to gain industry recognition, benchmark performance, and demonstrate credibility to potential customers.
• Channel Dive Daily Newsletter A consolidated daily email newsletter delivering technology channel news and analysis for channel professionals. It consolidates seven prior Channel Futures newsletters into a single daily publication focused on the most important industry headlines.

Quantifiable outcome

• The MSP 501 list serves as a benchmark for the technology services industry
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CRN: CRN is the most direct competitor in B2B news and analysis for North American IT channel partners, MSPs, and solution providers. It targets the same advertising and event sponsorship wallet and produces overlapping rankings and editorial coverage.
• ChannelPro Network: ChannelPro is a B2B media brand focused on the SMB channel partner ecosystem, particularly managed service providers. It overlaps in MSP coverage, advertising, and events with Channel Dive (Channel Futures).
• ChannelE2E (formerly The VAR Guy): ChannelE2E covers the IT channel from VAR through MSP and MSSP, providing news and rankings that compete directly with Channel Dive's editorial focus and serve the same vendor advertising audience.

Broad incumbents

• TechTarget: TechTarget is the parent of the combined Informa TechTarget entity and runs a far broader B2B tech publisher and purchase-intent data platform. It overlaps with Channel Dive on enterprise IT buyer audiences and advertiser relationships, though Channel Dive remains a niche channel-focused brand within it.
• InformationWeek: InformationWeek is a sister brand under Informa TechTarget and provides enterprise IT news to a broader CIO/IT leader audience. It competes for a portion of overlapping vendor ad budgets while sharing parent-level infrastructure and editorial back-office.
• CIO Dive: CIO Dive is a sister Industry Dive / Informa TechTarget publication focused on CIOs and enterprise IT leadership. It reaches an adjacent buyer set to Channel Dive's channel audience and shares sales, editorial coordination, and parent resources.
• Light Reading: Light Reading is a sister Informa TechTarget publication covering the telecom and networking sector, with shared editorial management (Phil Harvey leads both Channel Dive and Light Reading). Its telecom audience overlaps vendors that also buy channel advertising.
• CompTIA: CompTIA is the dominant IT industry trade association for the channel ecosystem, issuing certifications and industry research. While not a publisher in the same model, it competes for mindshare among MSPs and channel partners and influences the same vendor marketing budgets.
• IDG (International Data Group): IDG is a long-standing B2B IT media and research company (CIO, Computerworld, CSO, etc.) and operates sister publications such as ARN in ANZ. It competes with Informa TechTarget brands for global IT vendor advertising and events spend, with overlapping channel coverage in some regions.

Regional players

• MicroScope (ComputerWeekly): MicroScope is the UK/EMEA-focused channel media brand operated under Informa TechTarget / Computer Weekly. It serves the same channel partner editorial proposition as Channel Dive but in a different geography, making it a structural parallel within the same parent group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChannelFutures
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChannelFutures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/channel-futures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Channel Futures