Ladbible owner targets further US growth after ‘transformational’ year

The proprietor of Ladbible is plotting much accelerated enlargement successful the US, aft hailing a “transformational year” for the institution surging into the American market.

LBG Media, which besides owns the UniLad and Sportbible brands, said it is considering “further investment” to velocity up its US enlargement plan.

Founded conscionable 13 years agone arsenic a media outlet focusing chiefly connected young men, LBG Media has grown rapidly successful caller years and present has much than 500 employees crossed offices successful Manchester, London, New York and Melbourne.

2024 was a transformational twelvemonth for LBG Media. We are moving much campaigns for much blue-chip brands, peculiarly successful the US, the largest advertizing marketplace successful the world

Solly Solomou, Ladbible founder

It listed connected the London Stock Exchange successful 2021, and its commercialized occurrence comes against a backdrop of occupation losses and cutbacks astatine different British media groups implicit the past decade.

Many different media outlets person suffered falls successful advertizing revenue, portion the power of societal platforms has eroded readership successful caller years.

But LBG Media said its planetary assemblage surged to a grounds 503 cardinal successful the twelvemonth to October, up one-fifth connected the erstwhile 12 months, with a US assemblage of 143 million.

The company, which makes a chunk of its gross from an advertizing concern model, said it precocious won clients including Netflix and L’Oreal.

Meanwhile, its 2023 buyout of female-focused Betches Media has helped with “diversification” of US income, it said.

Revenue grew 22% to 86.2 cardinal for the period, helped by partnerships with companies including Google.

Founder Solly Solomou said: “2024 was a transformational twelvemonth for LBG Media.

“We are moving much campaigns for much blue-chip brands, peculiarly successful the US, the largest advertizing marketplace successful the world.”

More than fractional a cardinal radical globally, including Gen Z and Millennials, spot america arsenic the go-to destination for integer content

Solly Solomou, Ladbible founder

The institution projected that revenues would turn by different tenth this year, citing “good momentum” crossed its UK and US businesses.

LBG Media said precocious past twelvemonth that “key sporting lawsuit activations” were cardinal drivers of the company’s maturation successful audience, saying the radical focused powerfully connected the caller Euro 2024 shot tournament.

Meanwhile, it has cited the company’s campaigns, specified arsenic enactment to promote young radical to ballot and different to halt the signifier of portion spiking, arsenic different root of momentum.

Mr Solomou added connected Wednesday: “More than fractional a cardinal radical globally, including Gen Z and Millennials, spot america arsenic the go-to destination for integer content.

“The biggest brands and the biggest celebrities truthful privation to spouse with america to entree the increasing buying powerfulness and power of this hard-to-reach demographic.”