j2 Global’s Ziff Davis seals IGN acquisition

As reported by MCV this morning, j2 Global subsidiary Ziff Davis has acquired IGN Entertainment from owner News Corp.

Ziff Davis now houses brands such as 1UP.com, AskMen.com, PCMAG.com, Geek.com, Toolbox.com and UGO.com. Adding IGN positions it as one of the world’s largest digital publishers spanning some 53m monthly users and over 600 advertisers.

This provides Ziff Davis with its first footing in the UK and will likely grant more influence to IGN UK’s editorial team. It also more than doubles j2’s digital revenues.

"Joining Ziff Davis’s world-class digital media portfolio further strengthens IGN and AskMen’s growing presence in international markets,” IGN’s international VP Ian Chambers told MCV.

Alongside our local teams in the UK and Australia, we have developed a global network of expert publishing partners that deliver locally relevant content in 10 languages and over 40 countries. By combining our forces we will reach a greater audience of males 18-34 than ever before."

j2 Global CEO Hemi Zucker added: This is a transformative deal for our digital media business. By combining two of the most storied organizations in tech, gaming and entertainment, we have created a very powerful company capable of producing and delivering content in all forms to an audience that marketers highly value.”