Author: Greg Jarboe / Source: Tubular Insights To finish off my visit to the 2017 Digital Content NewFronts I had front row seats at the
To finish off my visit to the 2017 Digital Content NewFronts I had front row seats at the Group Nine Media event. If you aren’t familiar with Group Nine, then just click on the latest Tubular leaderboards and check out the Top Media & Entertainment Properties. In April 2017, Group Nine Media ranked #8 with almost 3.3 billion (with a “b”) monthly views. That puts the property that many video marketers have never heard of ahead of Comcast, which ranked #9 with just under 3 billion views. And if you rank the top media and entertainment properties by engagements, then Group Nine ranked #1 in April. Ahead of the Walt Disney Company, which ranked #2. So, before I talk about the new digital content that Group Nine announced, let tackle the fundamental question: “Who are these guys?”
Group Nine: A Digital First Media Company
Group Nine Media is a family of digital media brands – NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker, and Thrillist. The four brands, and former brand Sourcefed, merged to form Group Nine Media in October 2016. At the time of the merger, Discovery Communications announced a $100 million minority investment in the collective organization, becoming the biggest shareholder before Axel Springer. Discovery also acquired the right to obtain a majority stake later if it so chooses. So, the reason why Group Nine isn’t a household name – yet – is because the privately held company is only seven months old! But, there aren’t a whole lot of 7-month-old companies topping the charts. So, this prompts another question: “What are they drinking?”
Well, according to Ben Lerer, the founder of Thrillist, who also serves as CEO of Group Nine Media, the formula isn’t a closely guarded secret. He told the hundreds of media buyers who attended the NewFront presentation and launch party that Group Nine is “a digital-first media company built for the mobile, social, and video-first world. A world where yesterday’s cable pipes are today’s social pipes. In this new reality, platforms own distribution — but brands own hearts and minds.” He added:
“Our four brands (NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker, and Thrillist) live together because they share an ethos and DNA that makes them special. Each brand is optimistic and wants the world to be a better place. Each brand is inclusive and inspires participation. Each brand relies on data and insights to make better decisions and operates at incredible speed. Each brand is a strong storyteller and connects deeply with a huge number of passionate people.”
But, according to Lerer, here’s what sets Group Nine apart: “These brands are not for everyone; they’re for someone. These brands matter.” Now, I haven’t heard language like that since I worked at Ziff-Davis more than 20 years ago. This was the successful formula for special interest publishing. And, as the critical data above shows, Group Nine has scale. More importantly, the company’s brands have engagement. Lerer said, “Last month alone, we had more than 96 million social actions taken on our content. We call this Intelligent Scale. Intelligent Scale is when mass delivery meets massive engagement.”
That’s why the announcements that NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker, and Thrillist are significant. If they had been made…
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