Name

The A.V. Club

Legal name

The A.V. Club

Website

https://avclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The publication generates revenue through paid subscriptions offering monthly ($5/month) and annual ($50/year) plans. Subscribers receive access to exclusive columns, watch parties in invite-only Discord, live events, and branded merchandise including T-shirts and embroidered ball caps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The A.V. Club is a digital pop culture and entertainment news publication operating at avclub.com, providing editorial coverage across Film, TV, Music, Games, Anime, Books, and Aux categories. It offers free access to most articles alongside a paid membership subscription ($5/month or $50/year) that adds exclusive columns, invite-only Discord watch parties, live events, and branded merchandise (T-shirt and ball cap).

Product overview

The A.V. Club is a single-platform pop culture and entertainment content website operated by Paste Media Group. The core offering is the avclub.com website providing editorial coverage across Film, TV, Music, Games, Anime, Books, and Aux (lifestyle) categories. The site operates a subscription membership model ($5/month or $50/year) that provides subscribers with exclusive columns, Discord watch parties, live events, and branded merchandise. There are no separate modules, add-on products, or platform architecture — the offering consists of the website content platform plus the associated membership subscription tier.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The A.V. Club Website A pop culture and entertainment news website offering film reviews, TV reviews, music coverage, game reviews, anime coverage, book reviews, news articles, features, and lists across eight editorial verticals.
• A.V. Club Membership Subscription Paid membership subscription ($5/month or $50/year) that grants access to exclusive columns, watch parties in an invite-only Discord server, live events, and branded merchandise (T-shirt for monthly subscribers, T-shirt and embroidered ball cap for annual subscribers).

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Polygon: Vox Media's entertainment publication focused on games, TV, movies, and comics. Directly competes with A.V. Club's games, film, and TV verticals with a similar editorial approach.
• Slate: Digital magazine covering news, politics, and culture with significant entertainment criticism. Comparable subscription-driven model and editorial voice to A.V. Club.
• Kotaku: G/O Media-owned gaming and pop culture publication. Directly competes with A.V. Club's games and anime verticals with a similar irreverent editorial style.
• The Ringer: Bill Simmons-founded pop culture and sports publication covering entertainment, music, TV, and pop culture. Comparable subscription model and pop culture editorial positioning to A.V. Club.
• Paste Magazine: The A.V. Club's sister publication under Paste Media Group covering music, film, TV, and pop culture. Operates the same business model and shares infrastructure, audience, and editorial resources.
• Pitchfork: Conde Nast-owned music criticism and reviews publication. Directly comparable to A.V. Club's music vertical and shares similar subscription-driven business model and editorial voice.
• Vulture: New York Magazine's entertainment vertical covering film, TV, and pop culture with reviews, recaps, and criticism. Direct competitor to A.V. Club in the same editorial category and reader demographic.
• IGN: Major entertainment and games publication covering film, TV, games, and pop culture. Directly comparable to A.V. Club's games and entertainment verticals with larger scale and video-driven content.

Broad incumbents

• Rotten Tomatoes: Fandango-owned entertainment review aggregator and editorial site. Competes with A.V. Club on film and TV reviews and audience attention, but operates at a larger scale and different business model.
• The Verge: Vox Media's flagship technology and culture publication covering entertainment, tech, and science. Overlaps with A.V. Club on entertainment coverage but operates at a broader scale and category breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theavclub
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theavclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/theavclub
• Instagraminstagram.com/theavc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The A.V. Club