Three new partnerships bring leading games entertainment and fan culture brand to 20 Spanish-speaking countries, Portugal and Greece
NEW YORK – Ziff Davis, the digital media company with market-leading positions in the technology, gaming and men’s lifestyle markets, has announced three new partnerships with regional media publishing houses to bring IGN.com, the world’s leading games entertainment and fan culture destination, to three new markets – Spanish-speaking Latin America, Portugal and Greece – bringing IGN’s total global footprint to 20 international editions in 15 languages, spanning more than 90 different countries around the world and reaching a global audience of 55 million unique users per month (Google Analytics, June 2014). Ziff Davis is the Digital Media Division of j2 Global, Inc.(NASDAQGS: JCOM).
“Each of these partners demonstrates the same enthusiasm, experience and deep knowledge of games media that we all share at IGN, helping to make IGN a unique proposition both in local markets and at a global level.”
IGN Latin America will be operated by Mexico-based Publimetro Mexico, a division of Metro International and publisher of Publimetro, a newspaper distributed throughout Latin America. IGN Latin America is scheduled to launch during third-quarter 2014 and will be published in 20 countries in the region, including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, bringing the brand to a Spanish-speaking audience of more than 500 million people.
IGN Portugal is operated by Skift Media, a new media company formed by veteran gaming publishers with combined experience of more than 14 years in the Portugal market. Its team members have each led some of the most successful Portuguese gaming publications and aim to accomplish new heights with IGN Portugal.
IGN Greece is operated by CowboyTV, a local leader in gaming media that has rapidly become the primary source of competitive gaming entertainment in the region since its launch in 2010. It launches IGN Greece with a wealth of experience in editorial, streaming video, brand sponsorship activities and events management.
The new IGN editions will follow the proven model of curating and localizing the best of IGN’s English language content while adding original written and video content specifically produced for local audiences, in Spanish for the Latin American countries, and in Portuguese and Greek languages for their respective markets.
A Portuguese-language IGN edition specifically for Brazil is planned for later in 2014 under a separate partnership. IGN Spain will continue to be operated by Unidad Editorial’s ‘Marca’ publishing unit in Madrid.
IGN’s unprecedented global footprint now represents a unique opportunity in the games media sector for entertainment companies and advertisers looking to reach the coveted male 18-34 demographic, offering both scale as the clear market leader, and local relevance in more markets than any other brand in its category.
An interactive map showing IGN’s international markets can be seen at: http://world.ign.com.
Adam Doree, International Business Development Director, Ziff Davis, said:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Publimetro, Skift Media and CowboyTV to our world-class family of publishing partners. We’ve seen stunning growth in every new international market we’ve launched IGN in over the last two years, and our newest partners are the ideal teams to realize the IGN opportunity in these diverse regions that are full of passionate entertainment consumers, hungry for locally relevant coverage and community in local language.
“Each of these partners demonstrates the same enthusiasm, experience and deep knowledge of games media that we all share at IGN, helping to make IGN a unique proposition both in local markets and at a global level.”
Jennifer Utterback, CEO of Publimetro, said:
“It is an honor for us to welcome IGN into our media and brand family, the worldwide leading games entertainment and fan culture brand. Publimetro is now responsible to bring IGN Latin America to life, not only in Mexico, but within 20 Spanish-speaking countries in the region. We are very happy and excited about this new alliance and are certain that it will not only be a great complement to IGN’s diverse international editions, but will also serve and nurture an enthusiastic audience of gamers that is found to have great affinity with Publimetro’s audience within the region.”
Tiago Silva, co-founder and managing director of Skift Media, said:
“IGN has proven itself as the best gaming publication in the world and we truly love the way it delivers content for the mainstream gaming and entertainment audience. It’s clear that IGN resonates well with our local market in Portugal, and we are thrilled to become a part of the brand’s exciting global expansion. The launch of IGN Portugal represents a fantastic opportunity for both the local market and local gamers alike.”
Andreas Derdemezis, founder of CowboyTV, said:
“IGN’s premium status and mainstream content falls perfectly in line with our current operations as leaders in the local gaming industry. This partnership will act as a catalyst and create a unique powerhouse in the regional market, and we are truly excited to forge the best possible gaming experience with IGN. Our clients and our growth ambitions have driven us to search for the best international partners, and with IGN Greece, we can offer the local market an amazing global platform, premium content, and a unique advertising vehicle, all under the umbrella of the world’s number one gaming entertainment brand.”
The partnership is the latest publishing deal for Ziff Davis, complementing its owned and operated English language operations in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Ziff Davis successfully partners with local publishing experts in over 90 countries worldwide, with localized editions of IGN, AskMen and PCMag.com now available in 16 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
About Publimetro Mexico
Publimetro Mexico is a leading Mexico-based media company and publisher of Publimetro, a newspaper distributed throughout Latin America, and is a division of the multi-national Metro International. Publimetro is read daily by 18.3 million people in more than 150 cities, on three continents. With a network of more than 400 journalists, correspondents, and central editorial team, Publimetro is capable of bringing unique content to its readers, throughout its print and digital platforms. In Mexico, it accounts for production and development of the newspaper, print supplements, and magazines such as Mujeres as well as Publimetro Online News portal and Publisport. In addition to handling all editorial, advertising and commercial matters for IGN within the Latin America region, Publimetro will also launch local editions of both AskMen, the global authority on men’s lifestyle matters, and PCMag.com, the most trusted online guide to consumer technology, at a later date as part of its deal with Ziff Davis.
About Skift Media
Headquartered in Braga, Skift Media is a start-up publishing company formed by entertainment and computer game enthusiasts with over 14 years media experience. Led by industry trailblazers that have worked on some of the most successful gaming publications in Portugal, Skift Media aims to leverage the power of the internet to set a new standard for the local market.
About CowboyTV
Established in 2010, CowboyTV is a leading games media publisher in Greece, with a focus on premium content solutions targeting entertainment and eSports audiences. CowboyTV’s pioneering vision and dedication to quality has resulted in it becoming the leader in eSports and events management, with more than 100,000 unique visitors each month and a formidable client portfolio. In addition to its national success, CowboyTV has also acted as exclusive partners, facilitators and consultants for a variety of international projects and events.
About Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis is a leading digital media company specializing in the technology, gaming and men’s lifestyle categories, reaching over 100 million unique visitors per month. Ziff Davis includes among its sites: IGN.com, the world’s biggest video gaming information site; PCMag.com, the most-respected and authoritative consumer electronics reviews site; AskMen.com, the world’s biggest online male lifestyle media brand; and Ziff Davis Technology, the largest network of technology publishers dedicated to consumer electronics, computing and mobile communications. Ziff Davis publishes in 16 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian, and successfully partners with local publishing experts across 90 countries. Ziff Davis is a subsidiary of j2 Global, Inc.
About j2 Global
j2 Global, Inc. (JCOM) provides Internet services through two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. The Business Cloud Services Division offers Internet fax, virtual phone, hosted email, email marketing, online backup, unified communications and CRM solutions. It markets its services principally under the brand names eFax®, eVoice®, FuseMail®, Campaigner®, KeepItSafe®, Livedrive® and Onebox®, and operates a messaging network spanning 49 countries on six continents. The Digital Media Division offers technology, gaming and lifestyle content through its digital properties, which include PCMag.com, IGN.com, AskMen.com, Toolbox.com and others. The Digital Media Division also operates NetShelter® Powered by BuyerBase®, an advanced digital ad targeting platform, and Ziff Davis B2B, a leading provider of research to enterprise buyers and leads to IT vendors. As of December 31, 2013, j2 had achieved 18 consecutive fiscal years of revenue growth. For more information about j2, please visit www.j2global.com.
