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Valnet

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For other uses, see Valnet (disambiguation).
Valnet
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Subsidiaries
Websitevalnetinc.com

Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in Montreal, Quebec, in 2012.[1] It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry.[2] It is the parent company of several internet media publications including TheGamer, Collider, Comic Book Resources, MovieWeb, Screen Rant, Game Rant, XDA Developers, and SimpleFlying.com[3].

History

The company started a YouTube channel in January 2016 called "Little Angel", which provides animated content aimed at toddlers.[4] By April 6, 2016, the company acquired Comic Book Resources, with Valnet CEO Hassan Youssef retaining the editorial team and taking over their offices.[5] On November 17, 2020, Valnet announced that it had acquired Collider.[6] Valnet acquired XDA along with four other websites—Pocketnow, AppAdvice, BackyardBoss and Hook&Bullet—from Busy Pixel Media in February 2022.[7] Also that month, the company sold Little Angel to Moonbug, the owner of Cocomelon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.[8]

In May 2023, it was reported that Valnet had laid off several key figures at subsidiary Comic Book Resources (CBR), including editor-in-chief Adam Swiderski, senior new editor Stephen Gerding, and senior features editor Christopher Baggett.[9] In June, it was reported that CBR's employees had been finding difficulty in keeping up with Valnet's content demand. The company was reportedly "seemingly firing those who try and stand up for writers" in its bid to attempt to improve its work culture and performance.[10] Many fired staff vocalized discontent for these firings on Twitter, due to what was allegedly the full shutdown of the website news section, which the company refuted.[11]

Valnet acquired OpenCritic by August 2024 in an attempt to integrate the aggregator into its other businesses in the gaming sector. It announced plans to turn the site into a social media platform.[12][13]

Collider

Collider
IndustryFilm criticism
Founded2005; 19 years ago (2005)
FounderSteve Weintraub
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.
OwnerValnet
Websitecollider.com

Collider is an online entertainment publication, with a focus on the film industry and television series. Collider focuses on entertainment news, analysis, and commentary, along with original features, complementary film and television reviews, editorials, and interviews.

Collider was founded in 2005 by editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub as a blog. In 2015, Weintraub sold Collider to Complex Media, who would manage the business and advertisements on the website and offer editing support.[14] On November 17, 2020, Valnet announced that it had acquired Collider.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Valnet Inc". Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Valnet Inc - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com.
  3. ^ "Acquisition of SimpleFlying.com by Valnet Inc". Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Valnet Launches Little Angel, an Animated YouTube Channel for Toddlers and Young Kids". PR Newswire. January 27, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Rich Johnston (April 4, 2016). "How Comic Book Resources Employees Learned Their Site Had Been Sold To Valnet". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (November 17, 2020). "Collider Bought by Valnet, Parent Company of Game Rant and Screen Rant". TheWrap. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Valnet Inc. Acquires XDA and Digital Publishing Portfolio of Busy Pixel Media". Business Wire. February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 9, 2022). "Moonbug, Owner of CoComelon, Buys YouTube Kids' Network Little Angel". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  9. ^ McMillan, Graeme (May 30, 2023). "CBR is going through a major overhaul due to "culture and performance" issues". PopVerse. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  10. ^ Johnston, Rich (June 4, 2023). "Firings, Quittings and Valnet Fallout at Comic Book Resources". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Johnston, Rich (August 22, 2023). "A Deleted CBR Post Indicates Serious Internal Tensions". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Lang, Brad (August 1, 2024). "Valnet Inc. Acquires Popular Gaming Review Aggregation Platform OpenCritic.com". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Bradwell, Josh (July 31, 2024). "Valnet acquires game review aggregator OpenCritic". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Lang, Brent (June 23, 2015). "Film Blogs Grow Up and Go Corporate". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  15. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (November 17, 2020). "Collider Bought by Valnet, Parent Company of Game Rant and Screen Rant". TheWrap. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
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