Penske Media Corporation, the news and events company behind Hollywood trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, is acquiring sites owned by Vox Media that were left over from a deal this year with the media scion James Murdoch.
Penske is buying Eater, which focuses on food and dining; The Verge, known for its coverage of technology; The Dodo, which publishes animal videos; Popsugar, a health and wellness site; Punch, which specializes in drinks and cocktails; SB Nation, for sports fans; and Thrillist, a travel site.
Those sites were the remaining parts of Vox Media not purchased by Mr. Murdoch, who spent more than $300 million in May to acquire New York magazine, Vox.com and the Vox Media’s podcast network. At the time, the other sites were set to continue under a new company overseen by Ryan Pauley, Vox Media’s president.
Now, Eater and the other sites will be housed in a new division of Penske called PMX, which will include the company’s publications such as Rolling Stone, ARTnews and Billboard. PMX will be overseen by Mr. Pauley, who will be based in New York. Jay Penske, the founder and chief executive of Penske Media Corporation, also controls several popular events like the Golden Globes and South by Southwest.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Penske Media earlier invested $100 million into Vox Media, making it the company’s largest shareholder.
“We have long admired these unique brands and companies,” Mr. Penske said in a statement.
The Vox Media sites are the latest acquisition by Mr. Penske, the youngest son of the automotive tycoon Roger Penske, who has slowly built a formidable position in U.S. media as the fortunes of traditional publications have waned. His ownership of Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and the Golden Globes makes him one of the most influential media figures in Los Angeles and an important player in Hollywood.
The deal marks the end of Vox Media as an independent company. Founded in 2011, Vox Media was among a class of publishers, including BuzzFeed and Vice Media, that entranced investors and traditional media giants with promises of reaching younger consumers on the internet. Those publications had to compete with tech giants like Google, Amazon and Meta for digital advertising, and many of them merged, sold or went bankrupt in the face of gale-force economic headwinds.
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