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☆ The fraud trial of Ozy Media cofounder Carlos Watson has begun. His attorneys have argued race played a role in his indictment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAttorneys began jury selection in the criminal fraud trial of Carlos Watson, the cofounder of the fallen digital media startup Ozy Media. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Carlos Watson is a Black man and Ozy Media was majority-owned by people of color." AdvertisementAttorneys for Watson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on Monday. Semafor co-founder, former New York Times columnist, and BuzzFeed News editor in chief Ben Smith and Ozy co-founder Carlos Watson.

Persons: —, Carlos Watson, Watson, Watson's, Semafor, Ben Smith, Ozy, Dia Dipasupil, Kimberly White, Marc Lasry, Laurene Powell Jobs, Ron Conway, Axel Springer, Smith, Samir Rao, Suzee Han, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Service, Ozy Media, Business, Prosecutors, Apple, Google, Vice Media, New York Times, Goldman Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Buzzfeed

☆ Deadspin’s entire staff has been laid off after the sports site was sold to a startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Deadspin, the irreverent sports and news site best known for its commentary and analysis, laid off all of its staff on Monday after the outlet was sold to a startup firm. A G/O Media spokesperson confirmed that 11 Deadspin staffers were impacted by the move on Monday. Last year, G/O Media also sold Jezebel to Paste Magazine after briefly shutting down the publication and laying off its entire staff. The slashing of Deadspin’s staff is the latest in what so far has been a tumultuous year for the news media. TIME also laid off 15% of its unionized editorial staff and The Los Angeles Times cut over 20% of its newsroom staff.

Persons: CNN — Deadspin, Jim Spanfeller —, —, Spanfeller, ” Spanfeller, “, Deadspin’s, ”, Condé Nast, Forbes Organizations: CNN, Publishing, Media, O Media, Magazine, Vice Media, TIME, Los Angeles Times, Condé, The New York Daily News Locations: newsrooms

☆ News outlets are collapsing as advertisers flock to social media platforms, with major implications for society
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Social media companies are soaking up the billions in advertising dollars that once flowed to legacy media companies — a trend that continues to accelerate despite an ever-growing mountain of evidence indicating the Silicon Valley titans govern their ballooning kingdoms with little regard for how their products negatively impact society. Time and time again, companies like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and others have been caught allowing harmful content to exist on their platforms. The committee heard testimony from the heads of the largest tech firms on the dangers of child sexual exploitation on social media. To be fair, brands would likely prefer to advertise on the platforms of responsible media actors versus the risky world of social media. But Big Tech offers these brands much more effective targeting, while boasting a larger and younger audience than legacy news organizations.

Persons: BuzzFeed, You’re, It’s, Meta, ”, Jeff Horowitz, Katherine Blunt, Mark Zuckerberg, Anna Moneymaker Organizations: New York CNN, Social, Media, New York Times, CNN, YouTube, Times, Meta, Dirksen, Facebook, Big, Big Tech, News Locations: New York, Snapchat, Washington ,

☆ The hollowing out of Vice and BuzzFeed marks the end of the digital media revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —The digital media revolution is over. Its two leaders, Vice Media and BuzzFeed , are in a frenetic retreat, surrendering much of their online empires as they try to protect what remains of their core assets. The demise of Vice Media as we know it is a particularly hard pill to swallow. Ahead of the announcement, the mood inside Vice Media was grim. Dixon said in his note that Vice Media had determined it was “no longer cost-effective” for the company to distribute its digital content on its own.

Persons: “, ”, they’re, I’m, Bruce Dixon, Benjamin Mullin, Dixon, Shane Smith Organizations: New York CNN, Vice Media, Media, Big Tech titans, Fortress Investment, Sports Locations: New York

☆ Vice’s New Owners Prepare to Slash What’s Left of Its Work Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Executives at Vice Media are planning to lay off hundreds of more than 900 employees over the next week, eliminating staff from its digital publishing division, according to three people familiar with the matter. Over the past half-decade, Vice has had near annual layoffs and mounting losses, and has filed for bankruptcy, making it the poster child for the battered digital-media industry. When Vice emerged from bankruptcy last year, some observers hoped its new owners — a consortium led by the private-equity firm Fortress Investment Group — would reinvest to return the company to growth. Instead, Fortress has decided to make sweeping cuts, as part of an attempt to stem the endless tide of red ink. The company is planning to inform employees of its new business strategy in the next week.

Organizations: Vice Media, Fortress Investment, Fortress

☆ Vice to lay off hundreds of staffers, stop publishing content on its website
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Ahead of the announcement Thursday, the mood inside Vice Media was grim. Vice Media, once a high-flying digital media startup valued at billions of dollars, has struggled immensely in recent years. The radical strategic shift announced by Dixon effectively marked the end of Vice Media as the industry has known it. Once held up as the future of the business, Vice Media has rapidly contracted over the last 12 months, ending several news programs and laying off staffers. Vice Media joins a long list of digital publishers that have announced painful layoffs in recent months.

Persons: Bruce Dixon, ” Dixon, Dixon, ”, Shane Smith, Nancy Dubuc, BuzzFeed Organizations: CNN —, Media, CNN, Vice Media, Fortress Investment Group, “ Locations: “

☆ Vice Media will stop publishing on its website and lay off hundreds. Read the memo its CEO sent to staff.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewVice Media is in the process of shutting down its website and shifting focus to its studio, which will involve laying off hundreds, CEO Bruce Dixon wrote in a staff memo Thursday. Vice is also in the process of selling the woman-aimed site Refinery.com, which it acquired in 2019, Dixon wrote. In addition to its flagship Vice.com, Vice Media operates Vice Studios, a film and TV production business; and ad agency Virtue. However, it is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously. Separately, Refinery 29 will continue to operate as a standalone diversified digital publishing business, creating engaging, social first content.

Persons: —, Bruce Dixon, Dixon, Vice.com, Shane Smith, Bruce Organizations: Service, Business, Fortress Investment, Vice Media, Vice Studios, Employees

☆ After Vice Media's fall, 4 of its top marketers are starting their own agency focused on AI. Here's how they're pitching clients.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The result is Sounds Fun, which they call an AI and innovation studio and announced this month. He also said Sounds Fun would treat artists with respect, using their creative work with their consent and ensuring they're credited and compensated. One of their highest-profile projects at Virtue, and the kind of work Sounds Fun hopes to build on, was Coke's Y3000 project . For Microsoft's developer conference, Ignite, Sounds Fun worked with artists on a variety of AI experiences, including an AI vending machine that made individualized pieces of art and haikus based on people's utterances. Check out slides from the deck Sounds Fun is using to pitch marketers its work with AI and other technologies.

Persons: It's, Iain S, Thomas, Isabel Muñoz Cadilla, Alex Gangi, Martin Magner, they're Organizations: Virtue, Business, Media, Companies

☆ News industry off to brutal 2024 start as mass layoffs devastate publishers, raising questions about future of journalism
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The recent round of layoffs, while pronounced, are part of a much larger and unrelenting storm battering the journalism industry. Over the past 18 months, most news organizations have been forced to make difficult decisions to reduce their workforces. “I am sorry to say that I do not see turning around most legacy outlets,” Jeff Jarvis, the Leonard Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, told CNN. Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University, noted some local news outlets have found financial sustainability. “There are reasons to be optimistic given the hundreds of independent local news organizations that have sprouted up in recent years,” he said.

Persons: Condé Nast, ” Jay Rosen, “, Jeff Jarvis, Craig Newmark, ” Jarvis, ” Rosen, Steve Bannon’s, Margaret Sullivan, Sullivan, ”, ” Sullivan, Jeff Bezos ’, Patrick Soon, Dan Kennedy, Shiong’s, Jeff Bezos, ” Kennedy, Rosen Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Business, Condé, Forbes, The New York Daily News, Washington Post, NPR, Vice Media, Sports, Vox Media, NBC News, CNBC, Gannett, Netflix, Columbia University, Google, Meta, New York University, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, America, Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, “ Democracy, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington Post, Northeastern University, “ Billionaire, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Boston Globe, Journalists Locations: Covid, Jeff Bezos ’ Washington

☆ Meta's retreat from news accelerated in 2023, leaving publishers scrambling for traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

At Mother Jones, a 48-year-old nonprofit magazine specializing in politics and investigations, the implications were dramatic. "The firehose of Facebook traffic was never going to pay for our journalism, for the majority of our journalism," Bauerlein said. Last decade, many publishers saw their "social traffic decline pretty dramatically," with Facebook deprioritizing text-based articles in favor of video content, Cholke said. "If we all end up finding news in the metaverse, then you'll be finding Mother Jones in the metaverse," she said. What Mother Jones won't do, she said, is "bet everything on one platform, because that never works out."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Sen, John Kennedy, Bill Clark, Reuters Mother Jones, Monika Bauerlein, Mother Jones, Meta, Donald Trump, Bauerlein, Jill Nicholson, Nicholson, Zuckerberg, David Carr, Carr, We've, Meta hasn't, It's, Similarweb, Sam Cholke, John S, Adams, Jonah Peretti, " Peretti, Jessica Probus, BuzzFeed's, BuzzFeed, Probus, Cholke, that's, Chartbeat's Nicholson, Mathew Ingram, Facebook, Ingram, Pew, Elisa Shearer, influencers, Jones Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, Mother, CNBC, Google, Meta, Daily, Comcast, Vice Media, Institute for Nonprofit News, Texas Tribune, Montana Free Press, The Texas Tribune, Institute for Nonprofit, Longtime, Columbia Journalism, Pew Research Center, Pew Locations: Washington, France, Germany, Australia, Helena, American

☆ UK’s Metro Bank and Lloyds join Barclays in announcing job cuts weeks before Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Staff at UK banks face layoffs in the lead-up to Christmas in what one labor union called “disgraceful” timing. Struggling Metro Bank said Thursday that it expected to slash headcount by 20% as part of efforts to save £50 million ($63 million) a year. But Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at stockbroker IG, said becoming more like the big banks Metro Bank sought to displace would “sorely diminish” the lender’s appeal. “Far from being a serious challenger to the UK’s established banks, Metro continues to flounder,” he wrote in a note. Metro Bank also said new stock issued as part of an emergency equity raise last month to shore up its finances would begin trading Thursday.

Persons: “, Daniel Frumkin, Chris Beauchamp, ”, Charles Schwab, Dominic Hook, upskilling, Andrew Coombs, Jaime Gilinski Bacal Organizations: London CNN — Staff, Metro Bank, Lloyds, Barclays, Metro, Citigroup, Vice Media, Continental, Unite, ” Citi, Bank of England Locations: United Kingdom

☆ It’s holiday season. That means layoffs for some
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But they bring an extra bite when they are carried out during the holiday season. How does your employer’s severance policy compare? US employers are under no legal requirement to provide severance unless you are under a contract that provides for it. Check your employer’s severance policy: See if your employer has posted its severance policy on the company’s internal site. That’s a big jump from the average that employees pay today for workplace health coverage: 28% of the total cost for family coverage and 17% for single coverage.

Persons: Charles Schwab, “ We’ve, ”, Andrew Challenger, Challenger, Randstad, let’s, Tiffany Aliche, Aliche, “, Ann Minnium, You’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Citigroup, Vice Media, Continental, Challenger, National Labor Relations Board Locations: New York

☆ Vice to end several news shows and lay off dozens of staffers in hollowing out of news division
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Vice Media, the one-time digital media darling that has seen its value and influence greatly diminish in recent years, moved on Thursday to further hollow out its once prestigious news division, shutting down several shows and laying off dozens of staffers. “To be clear, Vice News is not going away,” the company’s co-chief executives, Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala, said in a memo to staff obtained by CNN. “Vice will continue to produce digital news, as well as Vice News documentaries, both series and films, for FAST Channels, streaming services and other partners.”In April, Vice Media ended “Vice News Tonight,” its flagship program, citing restructuring that would result in cuts across the organization, CNN previously reported. In June, the digital media company was purchased by three investment companies, including Fortress Investment Group, for $350 million. A person familiar with the matter said “less than 100” staffers would be laid off.

Persons: “, Bruce Dixon, Hozefa Lokhandwala, ”, Dixon, Lokhandwala, CJTtiYXJML —, ” CNN’s Oliver Darcy Organizations: CNN —, Media, CNN, “, FAST, Fortress Investment, Union, Company

☆ How 4 Vice alums are building a new media company with ambitions to turn its journalism into film and TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Four top journalists have left Vice to start a new tech outlet, 404 Media. The founders discussed their plans to expand into filmed entertainment as well as other media. Behind the new venture are Jason Koebler, the former editor in chief of Vice's tech vertical, Motherboard, along with its executive editor Emanuel Maiberg, senior editor Samantha Cole, and senior staff writer Joseph Cox. "I'm very proud of our Vice work.There's a set process for how to turn something into a documentary." Vice's bankruptcy proceedings revealed high bonuses for execs while severance to laid-off workers was delayed and vendors went unpaid .

Persons: Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, Joseph Cox, Derek Mead, Mead, Koebler, Steven Spielberg's, They're, Ian Cheney, Cox Organizations: Earthbound Pictures, Amblin Television, Netflix, Vice, Ticketmaster, Fortress Investment Group

☆ After Vice’s Downfall, Top Journalists Start Their Own Tech Publication
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

And so 404 Media was born. The tech publication — founded by Motherboard’s former editor in chief, Jason Koebler; two of its top editors, Emanuel Maiberg and Samantha Cole; and one of its writers, Joseph Cox — started publishing on Tuesday. Mr. Maiberg said 404 Media would start with just the four of them and focus on topics they had extensive experience reporting on, including hacking, sex work, niche online communities and the “right to repair” movement. “It’s very much a website by humans for humans about technology,” he said. “It’s not about the business of technology — it’s about how it impacts real people in the real world.”

Persons: Motherboard’s, Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, Joseph Cox —, Maiberg, ”, “ It’s Organizations: Media

☆ Media and entertainment companies are finding more investment from the Middle East, but it can come with controversy. Here are 11 of the most notable deals.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider broke down 11 top media companies with Middle Eastern backing or partnerships. Middle Eastern investment has poured into US media and entertainment, and US media companies have been eager recipients. Here's a rundown of 11 key Western media and entertainment companies, listed alphabetically, that have licensing and investment partnerships with Middle Eastern entities. Jimmy Finkelstein's news startup The Messenger has Middle Eastern funding via its acquisition of IMI-backed startup Grid, which is now shuttered. The North Road, Peter Chernin and Providence Equity's production roll-up, took a $150 million investment in January from the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar's main investment vehicle, to support its expansion.

Persons: Peter Chernin, Jeff Zucker, Uber, Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, hasn't, Mohammed bin Salman, SRMG, Abu, Abu Dhabi's, Jimmy Finkelstein's, BeIn, Stone, Ian Orefice, WBD Organizations: Providence, North, IMI, ex, CNN, Public Investment Fund, Blackstone, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Saudi, Guardian, Media, Bloomberg Media, Saudi Research, Media Group, Media Investments, CNN Business, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Sky News Arabia, Business, Independent, SRMG, Miramax, BeIn, Paramount, Qatar Investment Authority, Penske Media Corporation, Billboard, Variety, Penske, Vox Media, New York, Billboard Arabia, RedBird Capital, Mideast, MBC Group, MBC, Fortress Investment Group, Investment, Warner Bros Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, West, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, ViacomCBS, SRMG

☆ Wired Names Katie Drummond as Its Next Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Katie Drummond will be the next top editor of Wired, overseeing the tech publication’s teams around the world. Condé Nast, the publisher of Wired, announced on Thursday the appointment of Ms. Drummond as its global editorial director. Ms. Drummond joins from Vice Media, where she was the senior vice president of global news and entertainment, in charge of Vice News and the company’s digital brands. Ms. Drummond will be the first woman to lead Wired in its 30-year history. Ms. Drummond, 37, was an intern at Wired in 2009.

Persons: Katie Drummond, Condé Nast, Drummond, Ms, Gideon Lichfield, Lichfield, ” Organizations: Wired, Vice Media, News Locations: United States, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Britain

☆ How the founder of The Daily Upside used the lessons he learned as a media banker to build a profitable newsletter company
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Patrick Trousdale's The Daily Upside newsletter for investors just hit 1 million subscribers. It's an example of how a media company can be profitable in a jittery time for the industry. As an investment banker at Guggenheim Partners in the last decade, Patrick Trousdale had the chance to observe the media industry up close. "You have sizzle before the steak at times with digital media," Trousdale, 33, told Insider. Patrick Trousdale.

Persons: Patrick Trousdale's, Patrick Trousdale, Trousdale, Trousdale forgoing, Puck, Graydon Carter's, Nat Rubio, Leah McGrath Goodman, Goodman, John Keeling, —, " Keeling, Patrick Boyle, Substack, Keeling, there's Organizations: Guggenheim, Guggenheim Partners, Guggenheim Securities, Vice Media, Morning, Financial Times, Apple, Plaid, Business Development, Air Mail, Facebook, Google Locations: Puck

☆ How a Guggenheim banker-turned-newsletter publisher is building the anti-Vice, profitably
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Essence Magazine was meant to be a place for 'Black girl magic.' Internally, some employees say it was more like 'Black girl tragic.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

"Essence is the most deceptive Black media company in America. Essence Magazine was first published in 1970 at a time when Black business and civil rights leaders called for greater self-determination and empowerment. The magazine was the brainchild of a group of four Black businessmen who identified a lack of publications for Black women in America. "And that is to serve Black women deeply, to serve women of color in a way that no one else has thought about." Essence CEO Michelle Ebanks, Richelieu Dennis, and Essence chief content & creative officer Moana Luu at the 2020 13th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood luncheon.

Persons: Richelieu Dennis, Dennis, Susan Taylor, Taylor, —, Jason Kempin, wasn't, Essence Communications Michelle Ebanks, Rich Dennis, Arturo Holmes, Margarita Corporan, Forbes, let's, Black, didn't, Sandra Okerulu, Michelle Ebanks, Luu, Moana, Rich Polk, Wears, Danielle Young, Julee Wilson, Candace Montgomery, Wilson, Montgomery, Martha, Martha Dennis, Rechelle, Sophia, Richelyna, Alan Lescht, bristled, Ebanks, Joy Collins Profet, Readers, Essence's, Collins Profet, Caroline Wanga, — it's, Wanga, unappreciated, Travis Montaque, cofounders, Lionel Hahn, Yesha Callahan, Rich, That's what's, Yoonji Han Organizations: Black, Essence Magazine, Time Inc, Vogue, Sports, Essence Communications, Entertainment, New York Times, Meredith Corporation, Brands, Ventures, Upfronts, Babson College, The, Depot, PepsiCo, Accenture, Unilever, Inc, Magazine, Magazine's, Penske Media, Getty, Essence Ventures, Afropunk, Vice Media, Black Entertainment Television, Digital, Sports Illustrated, Media, Fortress Investment, NASDAQ, Trace Media, texturism, Hamptons, Readers, Employees, Staff, BET, Culture, Democracy, Inkwell, Essence Locations: America, Black, Liberia, Queens, shea, Moana Luu, Martinique, France, Paris, Philippines, Hollywood, Industry City, Brooklyn, Cannes

☆ Former Essence Magazine employees say they witnessed a 'hellish' and 'dehumanizing' culture at the leading publication for Black women in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

On June 28, 2020, a group of women using the name Black Females Anonymous published a damning public letter that shook Essence magazine, the leading publication for Black women in America, to the core. Essence magazine was launched in 1970 at a time when Black business and civil-rights leaders called for greater self-determination and empowerment. The magazine was the brainchild of a group of four Black businessmen who identified a lack of publications for Black women in America. "And that is to serve Black women deeply, to serve women of color in a way that no one else has thought about." Essence CEO Michelle Ebanks, Dennis, and Essence chief content and creative officer, Moana Luu, at the 2020 13th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon.

Persons: Richelieu Dennis, Dennis, haven't, Susan Taylor, Taylor, —, Jason Kempin, wasn't, Michelle Ebanks, Rich Dennis, Arturo Holmes, Margarita Corporan, Forbes, let's, didn't, Sandra Okerulu, Ebanks, Luu, Moana, Rich Polk, Wears, Danielle Young, Julee Wilson, Candace Montgomery, Wilson, Montgomery, Martha, Martha Dennis, Rechelle, Sophia, Richelyna, Alan Lescht, bristled, Joy Collins Profet, Readers, Essence's, Collins Profet, Caroline Wanga, — it's, Wanga, unappreciated, Travis Montaque, cofounders, Lionel Hahn, Yesha Callahan, Rich, That's what's, Yoonji Han Organizations: Black, Time Inc, Vogue, Sports, Essence Communications, Entertainment, New York Times, Meredith Corporation, Essence, Inc, Brands, Ventures, Upfronts, Babson College, The, Depot, PepsiCo, Accenture, Unilever, Magazine, Magazine's, Penske Media, Getty, Essence Ventures, Afropunk, Vice Media, Black Entertainment Television, Digital, Sports Illustrated, Media, Fortress Investment, NASDAQ, Trace Media, texturism, Readers, Employees, Staff, BET, Culture, Democracy, Inkwell Locations: America, Black, Liberia, Queens, shea, Moana Luu, Martinique, France, Paris, Philippines, Hollywood, Industry City, Brooklyn, Cannes

☆ Vice Media to Be Acquired Out of Bankruptcy by Fortress, Soros Fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Alexander Saeedy | Jodi Xu Klein | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Organizations: Wall Street

☆ Vice Media, once worth billions, set to be acquired out of bankruptcy by its creditors for $225 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Vice Media, the once-high flying digital media company valued at billions of dollars, is set to be acquired out of bankruptcy by three investment companies, including Fortress Investment Group, for $225 million. Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala, co-chief executives of Vice Media Group, informed staff of the decision in a memo Thursday morning. The acquisition agreement is the latest in a tumultuous period for Vice Media, which was once held up as the future of the business. Vice Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-May. A person familiar with the matter told CNN that GoDigital was preparing to submit a bid between $300 million and $350 million.

Persons: —, Bruce Dixon, Hozefa Lokhandwala, ” Dixon, Lokhandwala, ”, Shane Smith, Nancy Dubuc, Monroe, GoDigital Organizations: CNN —, Media, Fortress Investment, Soros Fund Management, Monroe, Vice Media, “, Soros, GoDigital Media Group, CNN Locations: Fortress

☆ Vice Media declares Fortress Investment Group the winning bidder in bankruptcy sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Hutton Supancic/Getty Images for SXSW)Vice Media has declared Fortress Investment Group's stalking horse bid of $225 million the winning offer for the company as it emerges from bankruptcy. Vice received multiple bids for the company, but none of them "rose to the level of being deemed a superior bid," according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC. Vice will present the sale to bankruptcy court on Friday and expects the acquisition to close then, the company said in the memo. The sale closes a chapter for the digital media company that was valued at $5.7 billion in 2017. Vice owns a series of assets including Vice News, Vice Studios, Refinery29 and an ad agency called Virtue.

Persons: Hutton Supancic, Fortress, GoDigital, Craig Greiwe, Spokespeople Organizations: Media, Investment, CNBC, Soros Fund Management, Monroe Capital, News, Vice Studios, Cannes Lions Locations: Viceland, Austin , Texas

☆ Bankrupt Vice Media plans sale to Fortress Investment-led group
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Yuvraj Malik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 22 (Reuters) - A group of buyers including Fortress Investment Group may take over Vice Media after the consortium's $225-million offer for the bankrupt company emerged as the only "qualified" bid on the table, according to a legal filing. Popular with millennial audience through its websites Vice and Motherboard, Vice Media filed for bankruptcy protection last month in a move that capped years of financial difficulties and top-executive departures. GoDigital Media told Reuters in an emailed statement that it made a higher bid for Vice but the offer was turned down by the sellers. "We think Fortress's decision is the wrong choice, and the company, employees, partners and consumers will suffer," GoDigital said. Fortress and Vice did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the potential deal, which must be approved by the bankruptcy judge.

Persons: GoDigital, Privately, James Murdoch's, Yuvraj Malik, Jonathan Stempel, Dietrich Knauth, Shailesh Kuber, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Fortress Investment, Media, U.S, Fortress, GoDigital Media, Reuters, Systems, TPG, Technology, Ventures, Antenna Group, Big Tech, Facebook, Google, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Bengaluru, New York

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