LADbible refutes reports it is shutting down Australian business
Youth publication LADbible has shut down reports that it will be closing its Australian business.
On Monday, news.com.au reported that the UK-founded company will close its Australian office at the end of this year, leaving at least 100 staff made redundant.
However in a statement given to Mumbrella, a LADbible Group spokesperson rejected the news.
“We reach over five million people a month across social in Australia and New Zealand and we remain committed to delivering quality content for this audience, and our partners. We are not closing, the business will continue but with an optimised operating model,” the spokesperson said.
“We intend to centralise our editorial and social content to our industry leading teams in the UK and we are in discussions with a number of strategic partners to continue our commercial business in Australia.
“We are confident that this operating model, in place for the new year, will further grow our audience across our APAC brands and continue to deliver the high-quality content we are known for.”
LADbible also told Mumbrella that 52 staff members are at risk of redundancy, not the reported 100, and that they are currently conulsating with those affected. The group hopes that a third of that number will be a part of the aforementioned strategic partnership.
LADbible told Mumbrella it plans on sharing more about the partnership shortly.
LADbible opened its Australian offices in Sydney and Melbourne in 2019, led by general manager, Joseph Summers.
At the time, Summers said: It’s essential that we don’t just do what works in the UK and assume it will do well here. So, we’ll be listening to our community to learn what it is they want to hear from us.”
In 2021, LADbible Australia launched a creative production studio, LadStudios, and just months later introduced its first podcast in Australia and Zealand, the SPORTbible Daily.
More to come.
Wax & wane
Innumerable publications of near zero merit bubbled to the surface on the gravy train of Meta traffic arbitrage. Ladbible landing here in 2019 was already late to AU and post the first round of algorithm decline.
Can anyone really be surprised it’s done and dusted? Three minutes perusing the site and one can see plainly the content playbook has not moved past a 2016 mindset. There.is.nothing.of.value.whatsoever
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