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Static Media
Company typePrivate
IndustryInternet
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Headquarters
Indianapolis
,
United States
Key people
  • Reggie Renner (CEO)
  • Mike Langin (CTO)
  • Brian White (COO)
  • Pete Schieke (CCO)
  • Joe Bossone (CFO)
ProductsContextual advertising
Brands
  • Looper
  • Nicki Swift
  • Mashed
  • The List
  • /Film
  • Glam
  • Grunge
  • SlashGear
  • Health Digest
  • Tasting Table
  • SVG
  • House Digest
  • WrestlingInc
  • Food Republic
  • Explore
  • Women
  • Foodie
  • Money Digest
  • Outdoor Guide
  • Chowhound
  • Islands
Websitestatic.com

7Hops.com Inc., doing business as Static Media,[1] is an American internet company established in 2012 and based in Indianapolis. It operates ZergNet, a content recommendation business that promotes paid content across their network of brands.[2][3] Each site the company owns uses the same website model and design, sometimes dubbed "infinite scroll", whereby content is loaded continuously as the user scrolls down.[4] For example, scrolling down on the homepage loads more articles in perpetuity (until the user reaches the very first article written for the site). Scrolling down on individual articles also does not reach the page footer, instead loading a different, related article, so the user can continue reading content from the site indefinitely without needing to click a new link. This is also called "infinite-content pages" or "endless pages". The title of one of the brands, Looper, refers to this design.

ZergNet

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Established around 2011,[5] ZergNet has been compared to Outbrain, Adblade, Taboola, and similar companies,[6][2] and the fact that the site itself has become popular with some end users invited a comparison to BuzzFeed.[3]

The company's investors include Mark Cuban and Greycroft Partners.[3][7]

Owned or associated websites

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Static Media owns and promotes the following entertainment websites:[8]

  • Chowhound – food history, recipes, and cooking tips
  • Explore – travel news and tips
  • /Film – film news and reviews[1]
  • Food Republic – food news, recipes, tips, and reviews
  • Foodie – food news and cooking tips
  • Glam – beauty, fashion, wellness, and women's lifestyle
  • Grunge – history, entertainment, science, and sports
  • Health Digest – health news
  • House Digest – home improvement, decor, DIY, and tips
  • Islands – travel news and tips
  • Jalopnik – automotive news and opinion
  • Looper – film, television, and video game news and reviews
  • Mashed – food discussion
  • Money Digest – finance
  • Nicki Swift – celebrity gossip
  • Outdoor Guide – outdoor living guides
  • SlashGear – personal technology and digital lifestyle trends
  • SVG – video game news and discussion
  • Tasting Table – food and recipes
  • The List – women's lifestyle
  • The Takeout — food news and reviews
  • Women.com – women's lifestyle
  • Wrestling Inc – pro wrestling and combat sports

Company history

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Looper was the first site acquired by Static Media, in 2015.[9] Mashed, Nicki Swift, Grunge, and the List are original Static Media brands, and all four launched in 2016.[10][11][12][13] The next site Static Media added was SVG, an original brand, in 2017.[14]

SlashGear was launched in 2005 and was acquired by Static Media sometime after the company's debut, in 2015.[15]

Health Digest is a Static Media original site, and it debuted in the third quarter of 2020.[16] Alongside general health reporting, many of the brand's early articles covered the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]

Tasting Table was launched in 2008 and was acquired by Static Media in 2021, the same year as /Film, which began in 2005.[17][18] House Digest is one of the site's newer homegrown brands, launching as a Static original site in 2021.[19]

Wrestling Inc. is the second-oldest of Static Media's branded sites, founded in 1996. Wrestling Inc. and Glam, the latter of which was started in 2003, were both acquired in 2022.[20][21] The Daily Meal launched in 2008 and was acquired by Static in 2022.[22]

Explore, a travel-focused brand, launched as a Static Media original site in November 2022.[23]

Women.com is the oldest brand that Static Media owns, having been founded in 1995, but it wasn't acquired by Static until early 2023.[24] Also acquired in 2023 is Food Republic, founded in 2010 but launched in 2011.[25]

In September 2023, Static Media launched another food site, Foodie, bringing its total food brands to four.[26]

On October 3, 2023, Static Media launched its first financial journalism site, Money Digest.[27][28]

On October 26, 2023, the company launched its second homegrown travel and outdoors brand, titled Outdoor Guide and focused on outdoor living, including camping, gear, travel, and wildlife.[29][30] The company followed this several days later with the relaunch of Chowhound, in early November 2023; the site was originally founded in 1997.[31]

In early 2024, the company launched its third travel and outdoor brand, titled Islands and more focused on exotic destinations, cruises, and travel than Outdoor Guide. The print publication of Islands had been around since 1981, owned by Bonnier LLC alongside Outdoor Life, Popular Science, Marlin, and Salt Water Sportsman. The website was originally launched in 2000. Though the print publication shuttered in 2014 and the publication shifted exclusively to digital, the site continued operating through the pandemic, growing to include its own Islands-brand "All-Inclusive Awards"[32] for resorts. These annual awards ran in 2019 and 2020 and recognized resorts that had the best food, bar, rooms, pool, overwater bungalow, spa, butler service, and amenities, among other categories. The award system was not brought back in 2021, and it has not returned to the brand under Static Media's purview, either. Editor Allaya Cooks-Campbell, who previously worked at Health Digest, was appointed lead editor of Islands and Explore in 2023 and led Islands through its acquisition and relaunch under Static ownership.[33]

In 2024, Static Media acquired its sixth food brand, The Takeout, which originally launched in 2016.[34] Later that year, the company acquired Jalopnik, an automotive blog that was a sister site to the Takeout.[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Policies". /Film. December 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Chapman, Lizette. "ZergNet Scores $3.2 Million to Build 'Pinterest for Content'". WSJ. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Greycroft Partners places bet on ZergNet, a content recommendation firm that's not in advertising – New York Business Journal". New York Business Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Neusesser, Tim. "Infinite Scrolling: When to Use It, When to Avoid It". Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "IU grad's ZergNet surges, powered by Mark Cuban". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Wright, Mic (June 24, 2015). "How two gamers built a secret weapon to get huge Web traffic". The Next Web. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "Q&A: Mark Cuban Talks Indy Startup ZergNet". Indianapolis Monthly. October 1, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  8. ^ "Static Media". static.com. Static Media.
  9. ^ "About Looper". Looper. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "About Mashed". Mashed. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "About Nicki Swift". Nicki Swift. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "About Grunge". Grunge. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "About The List". The List. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "About SVG". SVG. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "About SlashGear". SlashGear. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  16. ^ "About Health Digest". Health Digest. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  17. ^ "About Tasting Table". Tasting Table. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  18. ^ "About Us – /Film". Slash Film. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  19. ^ "About House Digest". House Digest. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "About Us – Wrestling Inc". Wrestling Inc. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  21. ^ "About Glam". Glam. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "About The Daily Meal". The Daily Meal. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  23. ^ "About Explore". Explore. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "About Women". Women.com. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  25. ^ "About Food Republic". Food Republic. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "About Foodie". Foodie. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Ngo, Hope (October 3, 2023). "How to Know If You're Part of a Pyramid Scheme". Money Digest. Static Media. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  28. ^ "About Money Digest". Money Digest. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  29. ^ Chandler, Nancy (October 26, 2023). "The Most Dangerous Time of Year to Swim in the Atlantic Ocean". Outdoor Guide. Static Media. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "About Outdoor Guide". Outdoor Guide. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  31. ^ "About Chowhound". Chowhound. Static Media. April 7, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "Islands All-Inclusive Awards". Islands. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  33. ^ "Allaya Cooks-Campbell". LinkedIn. LinkedIn Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "About The Takeout". The Takeout. April 7, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  35. ^ Flynn, Kerry (October 21, 2024). "G/O Media agrees to sell car culture site Jalopnik". Axios. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
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