NBC Universal invests US$200 million in Vox Media

NBC Universal has made a US$200 million investment in Vox Media – the parent company of digital brands like tech site The Verge, news site Vox.com and sports site SB Nation.

Announcing the deal, NBCU said that Vox’s premium brands would engage broad audiences. The other five Vox brands are: gaming site Polygon; food and nightlife site Eater; shopping, beauty and fashion site Racked; property site Curbed; and tech business site Re/code.

“Vox Media has strong leadership, top editorial talent and a unique technology platform. We are excited to be making this investment and building a collaborative partnership involving editorial content, advertising and technology,” said Steve Burke, CEO, NBC Universal.

Vox Media CEO and chairman, Jim Bankoff, said: “We are extraordinarily excited to collaborate [with NBCU] in many areas including video programming, brand advertising, cross-promotion, and platform technology to grow existing properties and launch new franchises.”

The New York Times and Re/code both reported that NBCU is additionally preparing to make a US$200 million investment in Buzzfeed, in a deal that is expected value the news and viral media site at US$1.5 billion.