On Tuesday ARN announced the sale of their sporting content platform The Roar to AtheltesVoice. This continues ARN’s parent company HT&E’s move to focus on audio properties and follows the move to sell Adshel to Ooh! Media last year.
ARN acquired The Roar along with its parent company Conversant Media in 2016.
ARN’s COO Michael Harvey said: “ARN is focusing on Defining Audio in Australia and as part of a recent strategic review, the opportunity arose to align The Roar, an iconic, trusted and vibrant brand in Australia with AthletesVoice, which has fast become the most valued, trusted and awarded source of athlete content. Together they represent the most unique, engaging and trusted sports content proposition in Australia. We look forward to the ongoing success of The Roar as it becomes part of AthletesVoice.”
AthletesVoice CEO Kerry McCabe (pictured) said: “Over the past two-years we’ve built a platform that successfully brings athletes and brands together to win ‘off the pitch’. We are proud of the voice we have given to athletes, helping them to realise their individual potential as a powerful media and marketing channel. It now makes sense to add Australia’s unique fan platform to our commercial offering in order to fully represent and serve both athletes and sports lovers – the two most valuable assets in sport.”
In March last year, Mediaweek reported ARN had completed the integration of Conversant Media into its network, following its acquisition in 2016 for a cash payment of $11.6 million and performance-based earn-outs.
At the time, ARN CEO Ciaran Davis said: “It was always our intention to better integrate the content offering of ARN and Conversant Media and by the end of Q1 2018, the final phase of ARN’s integration of Conversant Media’s assets into its business will be complete.
“As part of the integration, there will be a greater focus on The Roar, Australia’s leading sports opinion website, lifting our ability to engage with sports fans and leverage this content across our broader network of assets.
“We have made the decision to cease publication of the Lost At E Minor and Techly websites and will roll in their unique content position across the broader ARN digital publishing and social offering, which currently attracts an unique Australian monthly audience of over 2.4 million.”