The A.V. Club
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
The A.V. Club firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Where The A.V. Club is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The A.V. Club business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription with free T-shirt |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription with free T-shirt and ball cap |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
The A.V. Club product offering
Product offeringCore 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).
Companies that use The A.V. Club
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The A.V. Club technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The A.V. Club partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The A.V. Club competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
The A.V. Club social profiles
Digital presenceThe A.V. Club financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The A.V. Club leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The A.V. Club funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The A.V. Club 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 The A.V. Club
What does The A.V. Club do?
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).
Is The A.V. Club a public or private company?
The A.V. Club is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The A.V. Club founded?
The A.V. Club was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The A.V. Club based?
The A.V. Club is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The A.V. Club make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are The A.V. Club's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Polygon, Slate, Kotaku, The Ringer, Paste Magazine, Pitchfork, Vulture and IGN. Broad incumbents are Rotten Tomatoes and The Verge.
Does The A.V. Club have an API?
No public API is recorded for The A.V. Club.