TechMediaNetwork, which owns New York media outlets LAPTOP, Space.com, and Newsarama, said Monday it acquired Bestofmedia Group to load up its portfolio and take on media giant CBS’s tech site CNET.
TechMediaNetwork, with headquarters in Ogden, UT and offices in New York, said the acquisition will give it some 72 million readers across all of its Web assets. The company will add Paris-based Bestofmedia’s titles to its ranks, including Tom’s Hardware, a computer hardware news and info site.
For Greg Mason, who was hired last December as CEO of TechMediaNetwork, it is a chance to challenge one of his previous employers. Mason was most recently executive vice president of consumer services at WebMD. Before that, he served as senior vice president and general manager at CBS Interactive and president of CNET Channel.
TechMediaNetwork also seems hungry to grab a greater share of the media market. Founded in 2000, the company has acquired a plethora of media publications and websites, including comic book industry news site Newsarama in 2009.
TechMediaNetwork acquired LAPTOP magazine and its companion website in 2011 and also that year raised $33 million in a Series B round led by ABS Capital Partners with participation from Village Ventures and Highway 12 Ventures.
