What AZ Big Media does

AZ Big Media is a privately held, Arizona-focused business media company founded in 1985 and headquartered in Phoenix. It operates a portfolio of seven recurring print publications — Az Business, AZRE, Az Business Leaders, Experience AZ, People & Projects to Know (PTK), Ranking Arizona, and Play Ball — distributed primarily to Arizona business professionals, alongside a high-volume digital news site covering Business, Real Estate, and Lifestyle verticals, a podcast series, and an active presence on six social platforms.

The company monetizes through advertising across digital and print channels, sponsored and branded content, and event sponsorships tied to a portfolio of annual recognition programs including Most Influential Women in Arizona (MIW), Most Admired Companies (MAC), Excellence in Law, Excellence in Banking, CFO of the Year, AZ Big 100, AZ Business Angels, and Champions of Change. Several award programs are co-produced with institutional partners such as the State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, FEI Arizona Chapter, and BestCompaniesAZ, which extends the company's reach within specific verticals.

The operating model is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no public pricing or self-serve ad buying. Revenue is generated from Arizona-based advertisers and sponsors seeking visibility to the state's business community through print, digital, and event channels. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investment, M&A activity, or leadership changes on record, and its headcount sits in the 51–100 range. There is no evidence of AI, proprietary technology platforms, or developer-facing APIs; the underlying technology footprint is a standard content publishing stack.

Name

AZ Big Media

Legal name

AZ Big Media

Website

https://azbigmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AZ Big Media is a privately held, Arizona-focused business media company founded in 1985, publishing seven magazines, a business news website, a podcast, and annual award programs that serve Arizona advertisers, sponsors, and business professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: AZ Big Media generates revenue primarily through advertising across its digital platforms, print publications, and sponsored content. Companies and organizations pay to advertise and reach the publication's Arizona business audience through display ads, sponsored articles, and branded content.
2. Event Sponsorships: The company produces award events and conferences (MIW, MAC, Excellence in Law, Excellence in Banking, CFO of the Year, AZ Big 100) where companies sponsor tables, tickets, and recognition programs as a marketing channel.
3. Publication Advertising: Revenue from advertising within the company's magazine publications including Az Business, AZRE, Ranking Arizona, and special supplements and limited publications targeting specific Arizona industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AZ Big Media is an Arizona-focused regional business media company that publishes a portfolio of business, commercial real estate, and lifestyle magazines and operates annual award programs and events. It generates revenue by selling advertising and sponsorships across its print publications (Az Business, AZRE, Az Business Leaders, Experience AZ, People & Projects to Know, Ranking Arizona, Play Ball), its digital news website (azbigmedia.com), its AZ Big Podcast, and its in-person award events and conferences.

Product overview

AZ Big Media operates a multi-platform media portfolio consisting of seven core publications (Az Business, AZRE, Az Business Leaders, Experience AZ, People & Projects to Know, Ranking Arizona, and Play Ball), a podcast series, and multiple annual award programs including Most Influential Women in Arizona, Most Admired Companies, Excellence in Law, Excellence in Banking, CFO of the Year, AZ Big 100, and AZ Business Angels. The company also maintains a network of news websites covering Arizona business, real estate, and lifestyle content, serving as a comprehensive business media ecosystem for the Arizona market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Az Business: Bi-monthly magazine identifying and analyzing trends and issues impacting Arizona's business environment and economy.
• AZRE
• Az Business Leaders
• Experience AZ
• People & Projects to Know (PTK)
• Ranking Arizona
• Play Ball

Products and services

• Az Business Bi-monthly magazine that identifies and analyzes the trends and issues impacting Arizona's business environment and economy, sold to Arizona business professionals and supported by advertising revenue.
• AZRE Bi-monthly magazine covering the people, projects, trends, and events that drive Arizona's commercial real estate sector, distributed to Arizona CRE professionals and supported by advertising.
• Az Business Leaders Annual publication profiling the business leaders and innovators that are changing the face of Arizona business.
• Experience AZ Bi-annual guide to the best places to eat, play, stay, and visit when traveling to Arizona, distributed as a lifestyle publication.
• People & Projects to Know (PTK) Annual publication spotlighting Arizona's most influential commercial real estate professionals and the projects that define the landscape, sponsored by partners such as Quarles.
• Ranking Arizona Arizona's largest business opinion poll that annually ranks companies based on those with whom voters want to do business, published as an annual magazine and operated as a public voting program.
• Play Ball Annual publication serving as the official guide to Cactus League baseball in Arizona.
• AZ Big Podcast Podcast series featuring interviews and discussions with Arizona business leaders, hosted as AZ Big Podcast with Michael & Amy.
• Most Influential Women in Arizona (MIW) Awards Annual award program celebrating and honoring influential women in Arizona across real estate, business, nonprofits, and other leadership roles, supported by event sponsorships and recognition marketing.
• Most Admired Companies in Arizona Awards Annual awards program recognizing the state's most commendable employers, presented in partnership with BestCompaniesAZ, with honorees featured in Az Business magazine.
• Excellence in Law Awards Awards program recognizing the important role of in-house and Arizona legal sector professionals, presented in partnership with the State Bar of Arizona and Arizona Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
• Excellence in Banking Awards Awards program recognizing excellence in Arizona's banking and financial sector, supported by event sponsorships.
• CFO of the Year Awards Prestigious financial executive awards in Arizona, presented alongside FEI Arizona Chapter at an annual dinner ceremony, with winners named across five different categories.
• AZ Big 100 Recognition program featuring 100 people and companies that help shape Arizona's business environment, with honorees featured in Az Business and AZRE magazines.
• AZ Business Angels Editorial awards program recognizing Arizona's nonprofit community and the corporate leaders who support them, published within Az Business magazine.
• AZ Big Media Digital News Website (azbigmedia.com) Primary digital content hub (azbigmedia.com) featuring thousands of business news, real estate, and lifestyle articles across Arizona-focused categories, monetized through display advertising, sponsored content, and email newsletter sponsorships.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BestCompaniesAZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ Big Media partners with BestCompaniesAZ to co-produce the Most Admired Companies in Arizona Awards program, recognizing exemplary employers in Arizona.
• State Bar of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ Big Media partners with the State Bar of Arizona and Arizona Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel for the Excellence in Law Awards program.
• Arizona Chapter of Association of Corporate CounselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ Big Media partners with the Arizona Chapter of Association of Corporate Counsel and State Bar of Arizona for the Excellence in Law Awards.
• FEI Arizona ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ Big Media partners with FEI (Financial Executives International) Arizona Chapter to present the CFO of the Year Awards.
• Greater Phoenix ChamberminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZ Big Media spotlights Greater Phoenix Chamber and its partners including Dekker, Terracon, and LevRose through editorial coverage.
• QuarlesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuarles serves as a sponsor for PTK magazine (People & Projects to Know), supporting the annual commercial real estate showcase publication.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Phoenix Business Journal: Direct competitor in the Phoenix/Arizona market publishing local business news, executive rankings, and industry events (e.g., Best Places to Work) - the closest like-for-like peer operating in the same geography with the same content and event model.
• Bisnow: National commercial real estate media platform covering CRE deals, professionals, and industry events; directly comparable to AZ Big Media's AZRE and PTK publications serving the Arizona commercial real estate beat.
• Commercial Observer: Real estate-focused media company publishing CRE news, rankings, and events; comparable to AZ Big Media's real estate publications in editorial format and event-driven revenue model.
• The Real Deal: National real estate news outlet covering commercial and residential property markets with editorial content and industry events; competes with AZ Big Media's real estate publications at scale.
• Connect Media: Commercial real estate media company publishing CRE news, magazines, and rankings; closely comparable business model to AZ Big Media's AZRE and PTK publications, with similar mix of editorial and event revenue.
• GlobeSt.com: Online commercial real estate news outlet covering property sectors across the US; comparable editorial coverage, audience targeting, and advertiser base to AZ Big Media's CRE publications.

Broad incumbents

• American City Business Journals: Parent company of more than 40 regional business journals including Phoenix Business Journal; operates the same local business media franchise model with ranking programs and live events at national scale.
• Inc. Magazine: National business media brand publishing business news, the Inc. 5000 rankings, and awards events; operates at much larger scale than AZ Big Media but follows the same combination of editorial content, rankings, and live events.
• Forbes: Global business media brand with editorial coverage, ranking franchises (30 Under 30, Global 2000), and live events; broader geographic reach but a similar model combining business content, rankings, and events.

Emerging players

• Multifamily Executive: Trade publication focused on multifamily housing covering news, trends, and rankings; serves as a more specialized CRE vertical peer overlapping with AZ Big Media's multifamily real estate coverage under AZRE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AzBusiness
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AZBigMedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/azbigmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/az-big-media
• Instagraminstagram.com/azbigmedia
• Pinterestpinterest.com/eazonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 AZ Big Media