Media & Entertainment Acquisitions in Virginia

THM Media, parent of TheHomeMag, has acquired Naylor Exchange Events and will relaunch the events platform as TheHomeMag Exchange. The acquisition expands THM Media’s capabilities in live events and networking for the home improvement and building industries and integrates the event series with THM Media’s marketing and digital platforms.

Adams Outdoor Advertising acquired Chesapeake Outdoor, adding 181 static billboard faces and expanding its footprint in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach market and into the Salisbury–Ocean City, MD DMA. The acquisition strengthens Adams' regional presence on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland and will be integrated under Adams' Norfolk operations.

BridgeTower Media, a Transom Capital Group portfolio company, has acquired Virginia Business, the state’s only comprehensive business publication. The acquisition expands BridgeTower’s B2B media footprint and aims to accelerate Virginia Business’s growth by leveraging BridgeTower’s digital, marketing and events platform to better serve readers and advertisers across the Commonwealth.

Valnet Inc. has completed the acquisition of How-To Geek, a U.S.-based online technology publication. Valnet said it will continue operating and investing in How-To Geek’s Virginia office and leverage its publishing playbook to scale the brand’s editorial and product content.

Firebird Music Holdings, a newly formed music operating company led by Nat Zilkha and Nathan Hubbard and backed by institutional investors, has acquired stakes (often majority) in a series of music businesses including Red Light Management, Mick Management, Transgressive Records, Defected Records, Tape Room, One Two Many Music, NTERTAIN and others. Firebird — which says it has access to more than $1 billion in equity and is backed by investors including The Raine Group, KKR Partners and Goldman Sachs Asset Management — is building an integrated artist-focused platform offering label, publishing, management and label-service capabilities while allowing portfolio companies to retain their brands and creative autonomy.

Cox Enterprises has acquired Axios Media Inc., the digital news publisher known for its Smart Brevity format. The deal follows a prior investment in 2021 and is intended to help scale Axios into more cities, expand coverage across national topics and premium professional niches while leaving Axios founders with substantial stakes and operational control.

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) has entered into an agreement to acquire ArcaMax Publishing, a leader in the development and distribution of interest-based email newsletters and permissioned consumer data. The acquisition adds ArcaMax's newsletter platform and permissioned subscriber data to Zeta's Data Cloud and Zeta Marketing Platform to expand identity data, behavioral signals, and marketing touchpoints.

Trifecta Collective, a trade-show platform formed by private equity firm GreyLion and industry veterans Rick McConnell and Jennifer Hoff, has acquired the North American Trailer Dealers Association (NATDA) from co-founders Amy and Andy Ackerman. The deal brings NATDA's membership organization, national trailer show and trade publication into Trifecta's portfolio as the platform looks to acquire additional events.

An affiliate of private investment firm Standard General has agreed to acquire TEGNA Inc. for $24.00 per share in cash in a transaction with an equity value of approximately $5.4 billion. Cox Media Group and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management will hold non-voting interests in the acquiring entity, and certain TEGNA stations are expected to be divested to Cox following closing; the deal will take TEGNA private pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.

Axel Springer has completed its acquisition of POLITICO and related properties from Robert L. Allbritton, including POLITICO's remaining 50% interest in POLITICO Europe, Protocol, E&E News and Agency IQ. The purchase strengthens Axel Springer's U.S. media footprint and complements its existing digital publishing portfolio as the company pursues further growth in the U.S. market.

Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners has agreed to acquire Storyblocks, a subscription-based stock media company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The investment will provide capital to expand Storyblocks' library, add creative tools, and accelerate product capabilities to support growing demand for affordable, high-quality video and digital content.

PennWell Corporation, a privately held B2B media company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, acquired the Broadband Technology Report (BTR) and related assets from Virginia-based Hermes Media & Research LLC. The acquisition brings BTR's editorial team and the Diamond Technology Reviews awards program into PennWell's Technology Group to expand its presence in the broadband and telecommunications vertical.