RealClear Media Group

What RealClear Media Group does

RealClear Media Group (RCMG) is a privately held, founder-controlled digital media company headquartered in Washington, D.C., that operates a network of 14 specialty news and analysis brands anchored by its flagship RealClearPolitics. Founded in 2000 by Tom Bevan and John McIntyre in Chicago as an intelligent news aggregator, the company reorganized under the RCMG holding structure in February 2016 to consolidate vertical brands spanning defense, energy, health, religion, science, education, history, markets, world affairs, policy, lifestyle, books, and investigations. The company's defining product is the RCP Poll Average, a proprietary polling aggregation methodology that has become the most cited source for U.S. political polling and is embedded in Bloomberg terminals and widely referenced in campaign communications.

RCMG's content and technology stack centers on intelligent aggregation of political and policy stories from across the internet, combined with original reporting from in-house journalists (led by Washington Bureau Chief Carl Cannon) and multimedia production including the Trailhead podcast, video interview series, and live policy events at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. In October 2018 the company extended into data and analytics with RealClear Opinion Research, a service launched in partnership with SocialSphere, Inc. (founded by Harvard Kennedy School pollster John Della Volpe) that applies survey methods, polling, and social media analytics to measure and interpret public sentiment. Other notable technology integrations include a 2016 partnership with Google Trends to deliver interactive election analysis tools.

RCMG generates revenue primarily through digital advertising across its owned-and-operated network of 14 sites, supplemented by sponsored live events (including cybersecurity policy events with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Raytheon), B2B research and analytics services through RealClear Opinion Research, and content syndication. The audience base is concentrated in the United States with a national political and policy-professional readership; the company reached 32 million unique visitors, 20.1-minute average session duration, and the rank of 22nd most visited U.S. website during the October 2016 election cycle. The leadership team consists of co-founder and CEO John McIntyre, co-founder and Publisher Tom Bevan, President Erin Waters, and Chief Content Officer Andrew Walworth (joined October 2018).

Name

RealClear Media Group

Legal name

RealClear Media Group

Website

https://www.realclearmediagroup.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

RealClear Media Group operates a network of 14 specialty news and analysis brands anchored by RealClearPolitics, providing non-partisan political content aggregation, the widely cited RCP Poll Average, multimedia products, and B2B public opinion research to U.S. political professionals, media organizations, and advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Political News and Analysis

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Political & Public Affairs Channels (MPABAIAC), Content Aggregation, Curation & RSS Platforms (BPAMAJAI)

Keywords

• Political news aggregation
• Election polling analysis
• Media content curation
• Public opinion research
• Specialty news publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Northbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The company generates revenue through advertising on its digital platforms. The 2015 site refresh specifically addressed advertiser needs for 'high-impact, visible but unobtrusive opportunities for advertising.'
2. Research and Analytics Services: RealClear Opinion Research provides polling, social media analytics, and proprietary technology to measure public sentiment for clients seeking understanding of public opinion trends.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RealClear Media Group operates a multi-site media platform consisting of 14 specialty news brands under the RealClear umbrella, led by flagship RealClearPolitics. The company aggregates and curates political and policy news from across the internet, produces original reporting, and offers the proprietary RCP Poll Average for election polling. Supplemental offerings include video content, podcasts, live events at political conventions, and the RealClear Opinion Research service for public sentiment analytics.

Product overview

RealClear Media Group operates a multi-site media platform consisting of 14 specialty news brands spanning political and policy coverage (RealClearPolitics as flagship), sector-specific verticals (Defense, Energy, Health, Science, Religion, Education, History, Markets, World, Policy), lifestyle coverage (RealClearLife), literary content (RealClearBooks), and investigative journalism (RealClearInvestigations). The platform centers on RealClearPolitics with its signature RCP Poll Average, supplemented by original reporting, curated content aggregation, video, podcasts (Trailhead), live events, and the RealClear Opinion Research service launched in 2018 for public opinion analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RealClearPolitics: Flagship political news, polling aggregation, and election coverage platform
• RealClearDefense
• RealClearEnergy
• RealClearHealth
• RealClearReligion
• RealClearScience
• RealClearBooks
• RealClearEducation
• RealClearHistory
• RealClearMarkets
• RealClearWorld
• RealClearPolicy
• RealClearLife
• RealClearInvestigations
• RealClear Opinion Research

Products and services

• RealClearPolitics Flagship political news site featuring the RCP Poll Average, original reporting, curated content from across the political spectrum, and comprehensive election coverage for political news consumers, campaign professionals, and journalists.
• RCP Poll Average Proprietary aggregated polling average for U.S. elections, the most cited source for U.S. political polling information, trusted by Bloomberg terminals and major news organizations including WSJ, NYT, CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC.
• RealClearDefense

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SocialSphere, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Partnership to launch RealClear Opinion Research, a new service that employs survey methods, polling, social media analytics, and proprietary technology to measure and interpret public sentiment. SocialSphere was founded by John Della Volpe (Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics polling director) and Jonathan Chavez.
• U.S. Chamber of CommercemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Co-presented 'Securing Cyberspace: Forging a Collective Defense' event, sponsored by Raytheon, featuring NSA officials and cybersecurity executives.
• RaytheonmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2018Event sponsor for cybersecurity policy event co-presented with U.S. Chamber of Commerce and RealClearPolitics.
• National Restaurant AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2017Co-hosted 'A Toast to the First Amendment' reception honoring the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• Distilled Spirits CouncilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2017Co-hosted 'A Toast to the First Amendment' reception honoring the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• Beer InstituteminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2017Co-hosted 'A Toast to the First Amendment' reception honoring the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• Google TrendscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2016Partnership to launch RealClear Election 2016, an interactive tool analyzing top election issues. The tool provides battleground state analysis, red vs. blue state comparisons, and all-state voter behavior mapping using Google Trends data combined with RCP political polling.
• America's Credit UnionsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events, including 'The Future of Healthcare' and 'Middle Class Voting Issues' discussions.
• Partnership for a New American EconomyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events.
• American Nurses AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events focusing on healthcare policy.
• WalgreensminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events.
• American Podiatric Medical AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events focusing on healthcare.
• American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2016Event partner for Republican and Democratic National Convention events focusing on healthcare policy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 RealClear Media Group