Great Hill Partners

G/O Media Bets on Contextual Ads for Profitability

G/O Media, after a challenging 2023 marked by layoffs, the Jezebel shutdown, and Lifehacker’s sale, is betting on contextual advertising with a new product called Veritas Plus. CEO Jim Spanfeller denied plans to sell the entire portfolio, though earlier reports cited talks with potential buyers; an update later clarified that he did not specify Gizmodo or The Onion in those discussions. Veritas Plus upgrades the Veritas CMS (launched in 2021) by combining first‑party contextual signals with audience browsing behavior to create cross‑site segments activated programmatically. It will start with 15 segments across categories such as tech, movies, foodies, gaming, humor, and travel, and will be sold only through programmatic guaranteed and private marketplace deals (not open auction). G/O Media reports about 70% advertiser retention in 2023 and a roughly 70/30 split of ad sales between direct deals and programmatic, with programmatic activity distributed across open auction, programmatic guaranteed and private marketplaces. The company is pursuing sentiment analysis and brand-safety improvements to help monetize inventory as a PE-backed business under Great Hill Partners.

Ad Servers Plot To Scoop Up Sizmek’s Business; PE Firm Acquires Gizmodo Media Group

AdExchanger’s Tuesday roundup covers three main threads in ad tech: Adform disclosed an investment from GRO Capital (size not disclosed) to accelerate hiring and business development as Sizmek's bankruptcy creates opportunities in ad servers. Flashtalking's board approved speeding up hiring by about 30 new staff (in addition to 15 open roles) to win Sizmek accounts. Thunder plans a global expansion in 2020, with CEO Victor Wong noting the accelerated timeline due to Sizmek's presence in Europe and APAC. Separately, Univision is selling Gizmodo Media Group to Great Hill Partners, with Gizmodo rebranding as G/O Media Inc and James Spanfeller taking a leadership role; terms are undisclosed and sale expectations are well below the $135M Univision paid in 2016. Axel Springer has filed another suit against Eyeo’s Adblock Plus for copyright violations, arguing ad blockers alter site code and affect publishers' offerings, while ABP revenue remains largely earned via networks like Google, Criteo, and Taboola.

In Ziff Davis Acquisition Of NetShelter, Proof That ‘Publisher Networks’ Still Have Believers

Ziff Davis announced the acquisition of NetShelter, a tech blog network operated by inPowered Media, as part of a broader strategy to build vertical IT and tech-audience content. The deal is supported by ZD’s parent company J2 Global and funding from Great Hill Partners. This follows ZD’s February purchase of IGN Entertainment from News Corp, which added websites such as AskMen and 1Up and was reported to bring over 600 advertisers and 53 million monthly unique visitors. ZD positions itself as a display and ad-targeting platform with BuyerBase, its in-house private exchange. CEO Vivek Shah highlighted scale as a key driver, while inPowered’s CEO Peyman Nilforoush described NetShelter’s sale as a shift toward earned media and data-driven amplification for brands like Samsung. Shah signaled continued opportunistic acquisitions, with NetShelter and inPowered pursuing separate strategies around paid and earned media.