Online platform Fandom has acquired TV Guide, Metacritic and other entertainment and gaming brands in a $55 million deal with Red Ventures.
The agreement will add Metacritic, GameSpot, Cord Cutters News, Comic Vine and Giant Bomb to the entertainment platform’s current brands, which include ScreenJunkies and Fanatical.
Fandom, whose parent company is backed by private equity firm TPG, started as an entertainment wiki that kickstarted fan engagement with entertainment content and will now reach up to 350 million monthly active users after the acquisition.
The entertainment platform also started FanDNA, a data service that tracks engagement as a way to to support studios and other companies.
The brands have switched ownership recently, as Red Ventures bought CNET, which included TV Guide, GameSpot and Metacritic, from ViacomCBS in 2020 for $500 million. Red Ventures will continue to own CNET.
“We’re thrilled to add these powerful, authoritative brands into the Fandom platform, which will expand our business capabilities and provide immersive content for our partners, advertisers and fans,” said CEO of Fandom Perkins Miller in a statement. “The trusted insights, ratings and content they provide will make us a one-stop shop for fans across their entertainment and gaming journey.”
He continued: “In addition to creating exceptional fan experiences, these platforms will add to our FanDNA data offering, giving us sentiment and intent signals that will help improve the consumer experience as well as make our commerce and advertising businesses more impactful.”
Christina Miller, chief strategy officer for Red Ventures, added, “With Fandom at the helm, we are confident these brands and their teams will be well-equipped to continue empowering and connecting gaming and entertainment audiences around the globe. While Red Ventures continues to focus on unlocking the next phase of growth and evolution of its strong stable of decision-making brands.”
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the sale.
