Dotdash Meredith (IAC)

Who owns Dotdash Meredith?
Dotdash Meredith is a wholly owned subsidiary of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IAC), a publicly traded conglomerate controlled by chairman Barry Diller. IAC acquired Meredith Corporation through its Dotdash subsidiary in October 2021 for approximately $2.7 billion.

Is Meredith Corporation still publicly traded?
No. Meredith Corporation was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after IAC's Dotdash acquired it in October 2021. The former MDP ticker no longer exists. IAC (NASDAQ: IAC) is the publicly traded parent company.

What is Dotdash Meredith's annual revenue?
Dotdash Meredith contributed approximately $1.5 billion in revenue to IAC in 2024. IAC reported total revenue of $4.6 billion for full year 2024. Dotdash Meredith does not report standalone financials separately from IAC.

What brands does Dotdash Meredith own?
Dotdash Meredith owns over 40 brands including People, Better Homes and Gardens, Investopedia, The Spruce, Verywell, Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure, Southern Living, Real Simple, Allrecipes, EatingWell, Byrdie, Brides, Parents, and Martha Stewart Living. The company has sold or licensed several former Time Inc. brands including Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Entertainment Weekly.

When was Meredith Corporation founded?
Meredith Corporation was founded in 1922 by Edwin Meredith when he purchased and renamed what would become Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The company went public in 1946 and was acquired by IAC's Dotdash in 2021.

What happened to Sports Illustrated?
Meredith licensed the Sports Illustrated brand to The Arena Group in 2019 after acquiring it through the Time Inc. deal. In January 2024, Sports Illustrated was involved in a scandal over AI-generated content published under fake author bylines. Authentic Brands Group, which owned the trademark, terminated The Arena Group's license. Dotdash Meredith had already divested the brand and was not directly involved in the scandal.

Meredith Corporation was founded by Edwin Meredith in 1922 when he purchased the magazine "Fruit, Gardener and Home" and renamed it "Fruit, Garden and Home," which later became "Better Homes and Gardens." The company grew throughout the 20th century by acquiring and launching additional magazine titles.

Throughout the mid-20th century, Meredith expanded its media portfolio with successful launches and acquisitions, establishing itself as a leading publisher of lifestyle and home-focused magazines. The company went public in 1946, providing capital for further expansion.

In 2018, Meredith acquired Time Inc. for approximately $2.8 billion, adding major titles including People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, and InStyle to its portfolio. The acquisition was partially funded by the Koch brothers' Koch Equity Development, though the Kochs did not take editorial control. Meredith subsequently sold or licensed several Time Inc. properties, including Time magazine (sold to Marc Benioff in 2018 for $190 million), Sports Illustrated (licensed to The Arena Group in 2019), and Fortune (sold to Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon for $150 million in 2018).

In October 2021, IAC's Dotdash acquired Meredith Corporation for approximately $2.7 billion, creating Dotdash Meredith. The deal valued Meredith at $42.18 per share, a premium over its pre-announcement trading price. The Meredith family, which had maintained a controlling stake through dual-class shares, supported the transaction.

Following the acquisition, IAC delisted Meredith from the NYSE, and Dotdash Meredith became a subsidiary within IAC's portfolio of brands. The combined company began integrating operations, reducing print frequency, and investing in digital platforms.

In 2023, Dotdash Meredith sold its Digital Marketing division and continued to streamline its portfolio. In 2024, Entertainment Weekly was sold. The company has focused on its highest-performing digital brands, including Investopedia, People, and The Spruce, while reducing investment in underperforming print titles.

Dotdash Meredith has not published independently verified sustainability disclosures through frameworks such as CDP or SBTi, and it is not a certified B Corporation. As a subsidiary of IAC, the company's environmental and social reporting is limited to what IAC discloses at the conglomerate level.

The company's primary social impact initiatives relate to editorial content. People magazine covers social issues including mental health, diversity, and humanitarian causes. Better Homes and Gardens promotes sustainable home and garden practices through editorial content. Investopedia provides financial education content aimed at improving consumer financial literacy.

Governance is managed through IAC's corporate structure, with a board of directors that includes Barry Diller and independent directors. Dotdash Meredith's management reports to IAC's executive team.

The most significant controversy surrounding Dotdash Meredith involves the Sports Illustrated brand, which Meredith had licensed to The Arena Group in 2019. In January 2024, Sports Illustrated was rocked by a scandal involving AI-generated content published under fake author bylines. The Arena Group's CEO was fired, and Authentic Brands Group (which owned the Sports Illustrated trademark after Meredith sold it) terminated The Arena Group's license. The controversy reflected poorly on the broader Meredith legacy, though Dotdash Meredith had already divested the Sports Illustrated brand.

Layoffs following the Dotdash-Meredith merger drew criticism from media industry observers. The company implemented multiple rounds of staff reductions in 2022 and 2023, affecting both editorial and business operations. Critics argued that the cuts undermined editorial quality and institutional knowledge, particularly at legacy Meredith titles.

Print frequency reductions and title closures have been controversial among long-time subscribers. The company reduced print frequency for several titles and eliminated print entirely for others, drawing criticism from readers who value the print format.

The 2018 Time Inc. acquisition, which was partially funded by the Koch brothers, drew concern from editorial staff and media watchdogs about potential editorial influence. Meredith maintained that the Kochs had no editorial control, and no evidence of Koch editorial interference has been documented.