Network Ten invests in The Roar
Network Ten has made a minority investment in fan sports site The Roar.
The deal – which sees Ten take a stake in The Roar Sports Media – will see the site’s content featured on the website of Ten’s digital sports channel One.
The size of the financial stake has not been disclosed. Given that Ten is ASX listed and material information needs to be disclosed, this indicates that the sum involved in the deal is unlikely to be large.
Network Ten’s chief digital media officer Nick Spooner said: “The Roar is a perfect fit for onehd.com.au. Not only will it complement our established roster of on-air experts contributing commentary and analysis of Australian and international sport, it adds a compelling point of differentiation from other sports sites: the voice of the fans. Fans can stand alongside the on air and online experts as a legitimate voice on major sports news and issues.”
The Roar Sports Media MD Zac Zavos said: “The fact that the user-generated stories on The Roar receive on average five times the number of reads compared with newswire stories on the site suggests the level of community that has been created on The Roar.
“We’re excited about the opportunities that will come from the investment by Network Ten, as we look to grow our community and attract new advertising revenue.”
The Roar – which started in 2007 – employs more more than a dozen columnists, and claims that it is “arguably Australia’s largest citizen journalist website” thanks to its thousands of contributors.
The majority owner of The Roar Sports Media is Conversant Media which also publishes pop culture website, Lost At E Minor.
The deal is the second time in a week where a big media owner has invested in an independent site. Last week, Yahoo!7 spent $40m on purchasign group buying site Spreets.
Linkedin
Congratulations Zac – so pleased your hard work, talent and dedication has been recognised in this way.
Onwards and upwards for Conversant Media – and The Roar
Well done
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The Roar is a fantastic site and this is a good pick up for Channel 10.
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Well done to Zac and the team.
This is a smart complimentary partnership that should work well for Ten.
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Thanks guys – we’re looking forward to what the future holds.
Zac
The Roar
We done Zac, smart move 10
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