Apparently new media continues to fold in on itself in strange and new ways this summer. Re/code today wrote a follow-up to a report that NBCUniversal will invest $200 million into both Vox Media and Buzzfeed.
According to sources, the $200 million investment in Vox Media puts it at a pre-money valuation of $850 million.
Vox Media, the parent company of the Verge, acquired Re/code in May of this year. Writer Peter Kafka noted in the piece that he and the rest of the team are, “conflicted up the wazoo on this one.”
But the money isn’t the only intriguing part of the story: Vox (and by extension both The Verge and Re/code) will have a commercial partnership with NBCU. This means that they will likely be collaborating on digital ads, as well as video content both online and on NBCU networks like CNBC. Vox and NBCU are expected to announce details of the investment and the partnership shortly.
As for the BuzzFeed deal, that is expected to be announced later this week. It’s unclear whether the partnership details will extend to that camp as well. Gawker today published leaked financials from the land of kitten gifs — which shows that the company has been profitable since 2013 and spends millions on Facebook traffic.
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This brand of new media origami is likely designed to be a boon for both Vox and BuzzFeed — which will get both cash and visibility in exchange for handing over a stake of their own companies.
Update (August 18, 2015):
It’s official. BuzzFeed confirmed today that NBCUniversal has agreed to make a $200 million equity investment in the company.
➤ NBCUniversal And BuzzFeed Announce Strategic Investment [BuzzFeed]
Read Next: Recode has been acquired by Vox Media, parent company of The Verge
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