On June 10, 2016, Gawker Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the company was ordered to pay $115 million in compensatory damages and a further $25 million in punitive damages in Bollea v. Gawker.[3]
On August 16, 2016, Univision Communications purchased Gawker for $135 million.[1] The purchase did not include the flagship website Gawker.[1] It included the websites Gizmodo, Jezebel, Deadspin, Kotaku, Jalopnik, and Lifehacker.[4] Univision named the unit Gizmodo Media Group after one of its blogs, Gizmodo, in an effort to distance itself from the Gawker name.[5]
On September 10, 2016, Univision removed six controversial posts from various Gawker Media sites, each with the note: "This story is no longer available as it is the subject of pending litigation against the prior owners of this site."[6]
On September 21, 2016, Raju Narisetti was named as CEO of Gizmodo Media Group.[7][8]
Very Smart Brothas
On July 7, 2017, Gizmodo Media Group acquired the blog Very Smart Brothas.[9]
Earther
In September 2017, Gizmodo Media Group launched its first new stand-alone site since acquisition from Gawker Media, Earther, devoted to environmental news, with Managing Editor Maddie Stone.[10]
Televisa
In December 2017, Gizmodo Media Group announced a partnership with Mexican media conglomerate Televisa to launch Spanish-language editions of websites such as Gizmodo, Deadspin, Kotaku, Jalopnik and Jezebel.[11]
Struggles and sale
On May 8, 2018, the GMG Special Projects Desk published an article that highlighted various issues plaguing Univision.[12][13]
On June 28, 2018, The Daily Beast reported that over forty GMG staffers would be taking union-negotiated buyouts, thereby averting layoffs.[14]
On July 10, 2018, Univision announced that it would "explore" the option of selling all of the Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion websites under its ownership.[15]
Great Hill Partners acquisition (2019)
In April 2019, private equity firm Great Hill Partners agreed to purchase Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion from Univision.[16] The sale was completed on April 8, 2019, with Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion being combined into a new company named G/O Media.[2][17]
^Conger, Kate; Uberti, David; Wagner, Laura (May 8, 2018). "Univision Is A Fucking Mess". Gizmodo Media Group Special Projects Desk. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018.
