Pocket Media Group buys Gaia GPS

emulous74

Well-known member
Buried in the release of Pocket Outdoor Media acquiring Outside Media and will be using that as their name, it mentioned that the conglomerate also purchased Gaia GPS.



Pocket Outdoor Media may be just 4 years old, but already the conglomerate has gobbled up some of the most influential titles in the outdoor world. And today, it takes on a new name to underscore its heavyweight status: Outside.

Pocket Outdoor Media today announced its acquisition of Outside Integrated Media, the parent company of Outside magazine, Outside Studios, and the travel business publication Outside GO. It also expands to Outside TV, a provider of outdoor lifestyle TV and video programming across cable, satellite, and over-the-top networks.

In the acquisition, Pocket Outdoor Media will also change its name, adopting the brand name of its newest member, Outside.

These acquisitions were made possible by the closing of Series B financing from investment partners that include Sequoia Heritage, JAZZ Ventures, Zone 5 Ventures, and NEXT Ventures. According to a press release, the financing and acquisition transactions “will enable the company to make significant investments in audience, technology, and product development.”

While terms of the agreement aren’t currently public, Axios today reported that Pocket Outdoor Media raised $150 million from Sequoia Heritage during a Series B funding round.

New Outdoor Media Heavyweight
While still a fledgling company, Pocket Outdoor Media (now Outside, which we will use to refer to the corporation going forward), has acquired at least 22 leading publications and apps since its inception.

The company now oversees iconic publications SKI, Yoga Journal, Women’s Running, Triathlete, Backpacker, Climbing, Clean Eating, VeloNews, Trail Runner, FinisherPix, Warren Miller Entertainment, and Outside magazine.

This week, it also picks up Gaia GPS, a mobile mapping and navigation application for backcountry adventurers and professionals, and the cycling publication Peloton magazine.


“We’re investing in Outside because the management team has warmly embraced the future of information and entertainment on the internet. Just like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Outside will create and distribute distinctive content to a worldwide audience on any connected device. Better still, Outside will turbocharge the online programming of many of the most-loved fitness and health brands,” said Michael Moritz, who will be joining the Outside board of directors. “As a longtime journalist and former ink-stained wretch, I’m now being granted the opportunity to start a new chapter — as a digital-stained wretch.”

The deals create a platform across television, mobile, desktop, and print. It currently focuses on outdoor, endurance, fitness, and wellness markets.

“This is a transformational day for our company and our customers,” said Robin Thurston, CEO of the new Outside. “Everything we do is driven by a belief that a hike, run, ride, or yoga practice can change your life, and these new brands will help us fulfill our mission to build the world’s best consumer experience across a wide range of activities.”

Thurston went on to discuss Outside’s non-media digital components.

“Gaia GPS and athleteReg significantly boost the ways we facilitate participation through best-in-class tools and services. And as a lifelong cyclist, I’m personally thrilled to welcome Peloton, one of my go-to reads for its evocative celebrations of the sport. With these moves, we can now deliver world-class content 24/7 to almost every home in America across every platform, screen, and device. My team and I are deeply honored to help write the next chapter for these iconic businesses.” [/quote]

https://gearjunkie.com/pocket-outdoor-media-acquires-outside-magazine


Let's hope they don't f it up.
 

1Louder

Explorer
It will be interesting to see how this evolves. Congratulations to the owners of GAIA and all of those who have worked hard to develop, maintain, and improve the best app out there for off pavement adventures.
 

Superduty

Adventurer
For better or for worst any app that is very successful seems to get bought out by a bigger company. It's typically great for the original developers (as they make lots of money). For the user, on the other hand, it is sometimes a plus and sometimes a negative. Let's hope they do good things with Gaia.
 

townsat

New member
Here's hoping. Alltrails definitely became worse after getting big injections of money. They clearly pivoted to going after more users rather than serving the dedicated users they already had.
 

MiamiC70

Well-known member
For better or for worst any app that is very successful seems to get bought out by a bigger company. It's typically great for the original developers (as they make lots of money). For the user, on the other hand, it is sometimes a plus and sometimes a negative. Let's hope they do good things with Gaia.
At least Garmin didn’t buy them which if they had half a brain they should have.
 

roving1

Well-known member
A dying media form conglomerate buys a tech app company, great. :confused:

I hope this isn't a carbon copy of the total poo show that Hema getting bought out was in OZ. Hema apps are total garbage now.
 

Photobug

Well-known member
Brace yourselves for subscription increases, cutting of free featand capabilities and a push to further monetize Gaia.

US corporate playbook 101.

Exactly my thinking. Fortunately, I bought. a 5 year subscription. I would buy or extend it by 5 more years now if I could. Do they make decade subscriptions?

Looks like it has already happened. I think I purchased mine a year ago. A subscription for 5 years for less than $100. I just went back to possibly get a separate subscription for my wife to lock in a long period and have a second database for her pad. Current plans are only one year $39.99 with a generous 10% off for the first year.

I hate to see it but it is a good product worth that much, if you don't use it to its potential there are cheaper options out there. I hope the developers profited nicely from their efforts.
 
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WanderingBison

Active member
That’s probably bad news …. While GAIA had a great app and excellent selection of map sets, I found that they really focused on feature/map bloat over the last year or two, instead of usability/user tools (as an example their really poor waypoint management).

I now understand why - it was their exit strategy and they were busy making themselves attractive for an acquisition - focus on increasing subscribers and the feature sheet.

Hopefully the new owners will invest in growing GAIA as a tool but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t work out that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

roving1

Well-known member
That’s probably bad news …. While GAIA had a great app and excellent selection of map sets, I found that they really focused on feature/map bloat over the last year or two, instead of usability/user tools (as an example their really poor waypoint management).

I now understand why - it was their exit strategy and they were busy making themselves attractive for an acquisition - focus on increasing subscribers and the feature sheet.

Hopefully the new owners will invest in growing GAIA as a tool but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t work out that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yeah the lack of folders and decent waypoint management was confusing untill you view the larger scenario as described.
 

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