NBCUniversal Takes $200 Million BuzzFeed Stake

NEW YORK: NBCUniversal has made a $200 million equity investment in BuzzFeed, coming on the heels of it picking up a stake in Vox.

BuzzFeed is a global media company that reaches more than 200 million monthly unique visitors and 1.5 billion monthly video views. As part of the investment, the companies will also explore strategic partnerships across both organizations in the coming months.

"BuzzFeed has built an exceptional global company that harmonizes technology, data and superior editorial abilities to create and share content in innovative ways,” said Steve Burke, the CEO of NBCUniversal. “They reach a massive, loyal audience and have proven to be among the most creative, popular and influential new media players. We are pleased to be making this investment and for our companies to partner and work together."

Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed’s founder and CEO, added, “It's a fascinating time for the media industry; social, mobile, digital and broadcast platforms are converging to create new opportunities to connect with global audiences, and we're excited to partner with NBCUniversal to combine our respective strengths to build the future of news and entertainment.”

“BuzzFeed and NBCUniversal will be great strategic partners and we both have a lot to offer the other," said Kenneth Lerer, BuzzFeed’s executive chairman. "We look forward to collaborating on television content, movies, the Olympics, and joint partnerships with ad agencies and brands."