NowThis

NowThis is a digital media company that produces and distributes short-form video news and human-interest stories across a variety of social media platforms. The company was established in September 2012 by Kenneth Lerer and Eric Hippeau, who were instrumental in the success of The Huffington Post, serving as co-founder/chairman and CEO, respectively. They were joined by Eason Jordan, a former CNN chief news executive, who became the founding general manager. This founding team combined deep experience in both digital media startups and legacy news operations.

The company's business model is centered on creating content specifically for the platforms where young audiences, primarily Gen Z and Millennials, consume information, such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Initially, NowThis adopted a radical approach by forgoing a traditional homepage entirely to focus exclusively on social distribution. Revenue is generated primarily through branded content and partnerships, where NowThis creates custom social storytelling for advertisers wanting to reach its highly engaged young audience. This includes integrations into their original series.

The core product is short, emotionally resonant video content, often featuring on-screen text and captions, optimized for mobile viewing without sound. The content strategy focuses on humanizing complex issues and providing a youth-oriented perspective on news, politics, and culture. The company targets Gen Z and Millennial audiences, with data showing that 75% of its viewers are under the age of 35 and that the audience is significantly more likely to trust NowThis over influencers. Significant milestones for the company include a Series D funding round of $16.2 million in 2015 and becoming part of Group Nine Media in 2016. Group Nine Media was later acquired by Vox Media in February 2022. In April 2023, NowThis was spun off from Vox Media and acquired by the nonprofit Accelerate Change, becoming an independent entity again but remaining in Vox Media's advertising portfolio.

Keywords: digital media, social news, video content, Millennial audience, Gen Z, branded content, Kenneth Lerer, Eric Hippeau, Group Nine Media, Vox Media, short-form video, social media distribution, mobile-first news, content creation, news publisher, progressive media, Accelerate Change, NowMedia Networks, viral videos