Verizon, Hearst Ink Agreement to Acquire Complex
It’s a mammoth deal that became official public knowledge on Monday.
Verizon and Hearst announced yesterday that they have entered into an agreement to jointly acquire Complex in a 50/50 ownership structure.
Rich Antoniello, Complex CEO & Co-Founder, will continue to lead the company, we’re told.
Complex is one of the fastest growing networks of sites focused on American popular culture—from entertainment news, sneakers and hip hop music to food, fashion, sports and technology––geared at the millennial male.
“The decision to acquire Complex is certainly a continuation of our media strategy, which is focused on disruption that is occurring in digital media and content distribution, and involves building a portfolio of the emerging digital brands of the future for the millennial and Gen-Z audience,” said Brian Angiolet, Verizon’s senior vice president of consumer product and marketing. “When we look at Complex and how well they’ve built audiences by championing the digital convergence of cultures for well over a decade, it pairs well with our strategic vision and current shifts in content consumption.”
The Complex announcement comes on the heels of Verizon and Hearst’s recent investments in AwesomenessTV (each owns 24.5% with DreamWorks Animation owning the rest) and their agreement in March to form a 50/50 joint venture to build new multiplatform digital video channels targeting the mobile millennial audience.
“Complex will turn up the volume on our growing portfolio with Verizon, complementing the audiences targeted with our other channel investments,” said Neeraj Khemlani, co-president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. “Complex’s smart, fresh content aims squarely at the ever elusive young male demo and drives unparalleled engagement with that audience across every social channel. Complex also represents the acceleration of Hearst’s growing partnership with Verizon, which has unparalleled ad, video and mobile technology, and an appetite to build together the digital video networks of the future.”
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