Antony Catalano joins realestateview.com.au board with business partner Alex Waislitz, continues building ‘multi-pronged media group’
After securing an economic stake of 26% in real estate portal realestateview.com.au, former Domain CEO and current Australian Community Media (ACM) boss, Antony Catalano, has joined the board of the company.
He and business partner Alex Waislitz now own the largest stake in the company which joins their growing real estate and media portfolio.
Catalano denies a plan to create Domain 2.0 but is furthering his investment in the real estate industry
Realestateview.com.au is Australia’s third largest property portal, sitting behind Domain and realestate.com.au. The business has undergone a transformation over the last 12 months, with CEO Toby Balazs saying the opportunity with work with ACM will help realestateview.com.au hit its next milestones.
“The opportunity to work with ACM and extend our brand through their network is a clear vote of confidence for the work we’ve been doing. The opportunity will allow us to further grow our audience and deliver improved results for our customers.
“Antony has an impressive track record of rapidly growing media businesses, particularly in the real estate category. I feel confident that realestateview.com.au will grow its market value immensely by becoming part of Antony’s cross-platform media network.”
Catalano said the portal sat perfectly in his wider plan for a multi-pronged media group.
“Realestateview.com.au has a range of industry attractions but its most valuable asset is its highly engaged audience. This audience, coupled with the ability to deliver advertising solutions at speed, presents a compelling opportunity to create a multi-pronged media group inclusive of a property portal,” he said.
Despite telling Mumbrella when he acquired ACM that Domain 2.0 was ‘not part of his plan’, Catalano had fighting words for The Australian when asked about his former employer.
“Domain is weak in all major cities except Sydney and Canberra, generating less than 20 per cent of all leads nationally. A new player in regional Australia and Realestateview’s support in the industry will present additional competition for Domain,” he told the title.
Last year, realestateview.com.au completed a capital raise to help grow the business and fuel its commitment to providing choice, cost-effectiveness and flexibility to the property industry.
“The business has achieved some remarkable results in the past 12 months; audience has = grown by over 40% and we’ve launched a number of key initiatives, including our Price Estimator experience powered by CoreLogic’s market-leading property data. We have a highly experienced team of digital property specialists focussed on growing the business with great commercial outcomes” said Balazs.
“With Antony’s strong relationships across the real estate industry and the strong alignment to our ownership structure of publishers, real estate agents and Real Estate Institutes, we’re now excited to bring together this extended suite of assets to deliver true value to agents, vendors and buyers.”
Catalano and Waislitz’s agency The Today Business has already partnered with ACM on an ‘enhanced digital solution’ platform for real estate agencies which is currently being trialled in Newcastle.
topics
ACM
Alex Waislitz
Antony Catalano
Australian Community Media
Domain
realestate.com.au
realestateview.com.au
The Today Business
Toby Balazs
Toby is a solid operator and with The Cat behind him, I see big things ahead.
realestateview isn’t quite an REA-killer, but we can definitely expect some of those regional agents sick of rising subscription fees to give them a run.
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