Ziff Davis facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Digital media and internet |
| Predecessor | J2 Global, Inc. |
| Founded | August 1927 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Founder | Bill Ziff Sr. Bernard Davis |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Key people
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| Products | Multimedia, software, video games, data licensing |
| Revenue |  US$1.38 billion (2021) |
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Number of employees
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4,900 |
Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American company that focuses on digital media and the internet. It was started in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis. Today, Ziff Davis owns many popular websites about technology and health. They also offer services for online shopping, internet connectivity, gaming, entertainment, and cybersecurity. In the past, the company was mostly known for publishing magazines about hobbies.
Contents
History of Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis was founded by Bill Ziff Sr. and Bernard Davis. When Bill Ziff Sr. passed away in 1953, his son, William B. Ziff Jr., took over the company. In 1958, Bernard Davis sold his part of the company to Ziff Jr. to start his own publishing business. Even so, the company kept the "Davis" name.
For a long time, Ziff Davis published magazines for people interested in hobbies like cars, photography, and electronics. But starting in 1980, the company began to focus mainly on computer-related magazines and websites. This helped Ziff Davis become a big name in internet information.
Ziff Davis also had some TV channels. In the mid-1970s, they owned a few local TV stations. Later, they launched their own technology network called ZDTV in 1998, which was later renamed TechTV. This channel was sold in 2001. Today, Ziff Davis's main offices are in New York City, Massachusetts, and San Francisco.
In 2009, the company sold 1UP.com, a gaming website, and stopped publishing its Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine.
In 2010, a business leader named Vivek R. Shah, with help from a company called Great Hill Partners, bought Ziff Davis. Their goal was to build a new digital media company that helps people make smart buying choices.
In 2012, Ziff Davis was bought by J2 Global, a company that provides cloud computing services, for $167 million. By 2014, Ziff Davis was a big part of J2 Global's income, showing how successful it had become.
In 2021, J2 Global decided to split its businesses. The cloud services part became a new company called Consensus. J2 Global then changed its name to Ziff Davis, Inc., focusing on its media and VPN services. This was like Ziff Davis becoming the main company again.
Growing with Technology and Websites
Ziff Davis started publishing technology magazines in 1954, like Popular Electronics. This led them to become very interested in home computer magazines. Over time, Ziff Davis became a major publisher of computer and internet-related content. They bought PC Magazine in 1982 and launched ZDNet, a news website, in 1994. They also started Yahoo! Internet Life magazine in 1995, which worked with the website Yahoo!.
In 1994, the owner, William Bernard Ziff Jr., sold the publishing group. It was later sold to SoftBank a year later.
Since 2004, Ziff Davis has hosted an event in New York City called DigitalLife. This event shows off the newest technology in electronics, gaming, and entertainment. Unlike some industry-only events, DigitalLife is open to everyone.
In 2006, Ziff Davis stopped publishing Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. They felt that people were less interested in print magazines and demo disks because digital content was becoming so popular.
Changes and New Ownership
In 2001, a new company called Ziff Davis Media Inc. was formed. It worked with other companies to get the online content rights for many publications, including PC Magazine.
In 2007, Ziff Davis Media sold its business-to-business (B2B) division, which included magazines like eWeek. This part of the company became a separate business called Ziff Davis Enterprise Group.
In 2008, Ziff Davis Media Inc. had to file for bankruptcy protection to reorganize its debts. They came out of bankruptcy in 2009. Around this time, they also stopped printing PC Magazine, which now continues online.
In June 2010, a private equity firm bought Ziff Davis. The new owners aimed to make the business stronger. They bought several other websites, including geek.com and computershopper.com, to expand their reach.
Becoming Part of J2 Global
In November 2012, Ziff Davis was sold to J2 Global, a company that provides cloud services. This deal was worth $167 million.
In 2013, Ziff Davis bought IGN Entertainment from News Corporation. After this, Ziff Davis decided to close down some other gaming sites like 1UP.com and GameSpy.com to focus on their main brands, IGN and AskMen.
Ziff Davis continued to grow by buying more companies. In 2014, they acquired Ookla, which owns Speedtest.net, a popular tool for checking internet speed. In 2015, they bought Offers.com, a website for deals and coupons. In 2016, they acquired Everyday Health, a health information company.
In 2017, Ziff Davis bought Mashable, a digital media platform known for entertainment, tech, and culture, for $50 million. After this, Ziff Davis planned to create more in-depth content for Mashable to improve its search traffic.
By 2018, Ziff Davis reached 117 million readers in 115 countries, with 60 international versions of its publications. Many of these international versions work with local publishers and share content from Ziff Davis's main markets.
In 2019, Ziff Davis acquired Spiceworks, a network for people in the information technology industry. In 2020, they bought RetailMeNot for $420 million, which is another big website for coupon offers.
Becoming Ziff Davis, Inc. Again
In April 2021, J2 Global announced that it would spin off its cloud fax business. After this split, J2 Global changed its name back to Ziff Davis, Inc.
In 2023, Ziff Davis acquired Lifehacker, a popular website for tips and tricks.
In 2024, employees at IGN announced they wanted to form a union, and Ziff Davis agreed to recognize it. Also in 2024, IGN Entertainment acquired the Gamer Network, which includes popular gaming websites like GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer.
What Ziff Davis Owns Now
Ziff Davis owns many well-known brands and websites today. Here are some of them:
- AskMen
- BabyCenter.com
- BlackFriday.com
- BestBlackFriday.com
- Dicebreaker
- Downdetector
- Eurogamer
- Everyday Health
- ExtremeTech
- GamesIndustry.biz
- HowLongToBeat.com
- Humble Bundle
- IGN
- IPVanish
- Lifehacker
- Mashable
- Offers.com
- PCMag
- RetailMeNot
- Rock Paper Shotgun
- Speedtest.net by Ookla
- Spiceworks
- StrongVPN
- Techbargains.com
- Toolbox.com
- VG247
- VIPRE
Past Properties
Ziff Davis has owned many other brands and publications in the past. Some of these were sold, and others were stopped.
Sold Brands
- DeveloperShed.com
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- FileFront
- ZDNet (sold to CNET)
Discontinued Brands
- 1Up.com
- Computer Gaming World
- GameSpy
- Geek.com
- MacUser (US Edition)
- Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
- PC Magazine – (print version, continues online)
- UGO Networks
- Yahoo! Internet Life
Images for kids
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An early issue of Popular Aviation from June 1928. This was the first magazine published by Ziff Davis.
