Ziff Davis
Digital media and internet portfolio spanning publishing, commerce and subscriptions.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- Ziff Davis, Inc.
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 1927
- Headquarters
- United States
- Company size
- 1,001–5,000
- Market role
- Publisher & Media Owner
- Ticker
- ZD
- Official website
- ziffdavis.com
What Ziff Davis does
Ziff Davis creates value by acquiring, operating and cross-monetising digital brands in high-intent verticals such as technology, shopping, health and entertainment. It attracts audiences through editorial content, communities, newsletters, utilities and deal discovery, then converts that demand into advertising revenue, affiliate commissions, lead generation contracts, managed marketing services and recurring subscriptions. The company compounds value by using portfolio scale, first-party audience data and disciplined M&A to extend into adjacent categories with stronger recurring revenue characteristics.
Category differentiation
Ziff Davis is not a single software product or one publisher brand; it is a public holding company operating a diversified portfolio of media, commerce, data and subscription businesses. It is distinct from standalone tech publishers such as a single review site or newsletter brand.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
Ziff Davis is a publicly listed digital media and internet company that owns and operates a portfolio of specialist brands across technology, shopping, gaming, health, cybersecurity, connectivity and marketing services. Its core operating model combines audience aggregation, editorial content, first-party data, subscriptions and acquired digital properties. The company monetises through advertising sold against owned media inventory, affiliate commerce tied to product and deal intent, lead generation and ABM solutions for B2B marketers, and subscription or software revenues from selected internet and software assets. Its customers span advertisers, technology vendors, retailers, healthcare marketers, subscription users and consumer audiences interacting with its media brands. The portfolio structure gives Ziff Davis multiple revenue streams across ad-supported publishing, performance marketing, affiliate commerce, data-driven marketing solutions and recurring subscriptions, while management positions acquisitions and capital allocation as central to long-term growth.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
Following the transformative $1.2 billion divestiture of its Connectivity business, Ziff Davis reported its Q2 2026 financial results while actively streamlining its portfolio and boosting liquidity. To counter declining search traffic, the company is diversifying audiences across social, video, and newsletter channels while monetising Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as a branded content offering. Concurrently, CEO Vivek Shah addressed AI licensing models in a recent Fortune op-ed, advocating for sustainable compensation frameworks for publishers.
Business model & monetisation
Ziff Davis monetises through a diversified mix of ad-supported publishing, affiliate commerce, lead generation, managed performance marketing and recurring subscriptions. Media brands generate CPM- and sponsorship-based advertising revenue from display, native, video and newsletter inventory. Commerce properties generate CPA and commission-based revenue from retailer partnerships and transaction referrals. B2B marketing assets generate service fees and campaign revenue from demand generation, ABM, email programmes and intent-data solutions. Subscription and software assets add recurring revenue from consumer and business users, reducing dependence on advertising alone.
- Digital advertising across owned media brands
- Ad-Supported
- Affiliate commerce and coupon commissions
- Percentage Take-Rate
- Subscriptions and software products
- Software Subscription
- B2B demand generation and ABM programmes
- Service Fee
- Managed performance marketing services
- Service Fee
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Programmatic stack & registry data
Registry entries and observed technical data do not establish certification, legal compliance or actual usage.
Ziff Davis LLC
IAB vendor record: 321
- Cookies declared
- Yes
- Non-cookie access declared
- No
- Declared purpose IDs
- 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
- Declared feature IDs
- 2
- Declared special purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Indexed sellers.json entries
- 5 · ziffdavis.com
Products & market categories
Competitors & alternatives
- Recurrent Ventures
Digital media owner monetising niche editorial brands through advertising and subscriptions.
- Townsquare Media
US local media owner with digital marketing and adtech businesses.
- NAVER
South Korean platform group spanning search, ads, commerce, content and cloud.
- G2
B2B software marketplace monetising reviews, intent data and vendor promotion.
- Mozilla
Privacy software and web media products under non-profit ownership.
Side-by-side comparisons
Subsidiaries & acquisitions
- Aberdeen
B2B analyst research and custom market intelligence provider.
- PCMag
Technology publisher monetising reviews, ads, newsletters and affiliate commerce.
- Mashable
Digital publisher covering technology, culture, entertainment and shopping.
- IGN
Gaming media publisher monetised through ads, subscriptions and commerce.
- Moz
SEO software and search data platform for marketers.
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
Publishers Turn GEO from Experiment into Business
GEO · Recorded impact score: 4/5
Publishers are increasingly monetizing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as a branded content offering, with companies like Future, Ziff Davis, Time, and several European publishers securing clients and revenue. Future's GEO product has over 30 clients and renewals, while Ziff Davis reports multiple clients. Time's offering involves placing brand messages in markdown files read by AI agents, despite Perplexity's initial pushback. Publishers see GEO as a premium opportunity to capitalize on AI-driven discovery, though measurement and longevity remain concerns. The IAB is developing a framework to standardize AI advertising measurement. Publishers are guarded about revenue figures due to competition, but the overall sentiment is optimistic, with GEO perceived as a real commercial opportunity rather than a defensive play.
- Future's GEO product has more than 30 clients and secured renewals.
- Ziff Davis has multiple GEO clients, tacked onto branded content deals.
Google Search Profiles Lower Follower Threshold, Add Multi-Profile Management
Search & Publisher Tools · Recorded impact score: 4/5
Google has updated its Search Profiles feature for publishers and creators, lowering the follower threshold to 10,000 on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok. This marks the second reduction since the feature's rollout in June. Additionally, Google now allows managing multiple profiles under one account, which is beneficial for media houses with multiple brands. The article preview has been enhanced with improved thumbnails and longer headlines. Currently, the feature is only available to users 18 and older in the US, with a global rollout planned. Google's Robby Stein announced these changes, highlighting the increased utility for publishers. The profiles serve as a curated presence in search results, including a follow button that influences Discover visibility. This positions Google as a content hub, which could potentially reduce direct traffic to publishers' websites but also offers new visibility opportunities.
- Google lowered the follower requirement for Search Profiles to 10,000 on YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok, and 100,000 on TikTok previously.
- Search Profiles now support multiple profiles under one Google account.
Ziff Davis News: CEO Op-Ed, SpiceWorld 2026, Q2 Results, and More
Recorded impact score: 3.5/5
Ziff Davis CEO Vivek Shah published an op-ed in Fortune on AI licensing; SpiceWorld 2026 announced; Q2 2026 financial results reported; RetailMeNot launched new rewards app; IPVanish added WireGuard/OpenVPN to Apple TV; Castle Connolly released Top Dentists list.
10-Q Financial Filing Analysis for Ziff Davis (2026-08-07)
financials · Recorded impact score: 4.6/5
Ziff Davis reported its financial results for Q2 2026, highlighted by the transformative completion of the divestiture of its Connectivity business to Accenture on June 17, 2026, for $1.2 billion in cash ($1.134 billion net cash proceeds received). This sale generated a pre-tax gain of $860.6 million, driving consolidated net income to $624.5 million despite continuing operations posting a net loss of $52.2 million. Continuing operations revenue declined 2.7% year-over-year to $286.7 million, impacted by macro traffic pressure across affiliate commerce and programmatic display advertising. Furthermore, operating results were weighed down by a $54.8 million goodwill impairment in the Health & Wellness segment. Ziff Davis concluded the quarter with $1.61 billion in cash and cash equivalents, significantly boosting liquidity for capital allocation and its active share repurchase program.
- Completed the divestiture of the Connectivity business to Accenture on June 17, 2026, generating $1.134 billion in net cash proceeds and an $860.6 million pre-tax gain on sale.
- Continuing operations revenue decreased 2.7% YoY in Q2 2026 to $286.7 million, alongside an operating loss of $44.7 million driven by a $54.8 million Health & Wellness goodwill impairment.
Ziff Davis to Announce Second Quarter 2026 Earnings
Recorded impact score: 3/5
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Questions about Ziff Davis
What is Ziff Davis?
Ziff Davis is a public digital media and internet company that owns a portfolio of publishing, commerce, marketing and subscription brands across technology, shopping, health, gaming and related verticals.
Who uses Ziff Davis?
Its platforms are used by consumers seeking content, deals and subscriptions, and by advertisers, retailers and B2B technology marketers buying media, leads, intent data and performance marketing services.
How does Ziff Davis make money?
It generates revenue from digital advertising, affiliate commerce commissions, lead generation, managed marketing services and recurring subscriptions across its portfolio companies.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
13 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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