March 15, 2021 12:05
Less than a year after Vice shrunk its local operations almost to the point of non-existence, Pedestrian has announced it will revive the media brand and launch women’s media site Refinery29 in the local market.
Despite Vice’s previous difficulties locally, and the shuttering of other digital newsrooms including Buzzfeed, 10 Daily, and whimn.com.au, Pedestrian’s CEO Matt Rowley is confident both Vice and Refinery29 will be set up for success.
“In the Pedestrian Group, we’ve actually seen growth year-on-year,” Rowley told reporters, addressing the local media landscape’s condensing.
“Part of what’s behind that is the scale that we’ve got in market. If you think about Pedestrian, it’s always been a self-sustaining business model. It’s needed to be profitable to reinvest in the business and build. It’s never been a venture capital-backed business model.
Pedestrian in exclusive Australian deal with VICE Media adnews.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from adnews.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pedestrian Group signs deals to publish US websites Vice and Refinery29
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Vice and
Refinery29 as part of a broader attempt to grow audiences at a time when large digital media companies are withdrawing from the Australian market.
The deal, which coincides with the decision to close digital website
Popsugar Australia, will put a stop to years of local cost-cutting for Vice Media Group and allow the company to once again strengthen its presence in Australia.
Pedestrian Group CEO Matt Rowley is confident the two US brands will work in Australia.