Brandtree

When did The New York Times buy and sell its brands?

The New York Times has completed 3 recorded acquisitions and 0 divestitures or spin-offs, spanning 2016 to 2022.

DateTypeAssetsCounterpartyValue
Feb 2022AcquisitionThe Athletic—$550m
Jan 2022AcquisitionWordle—Undisclosed
Oct 2016AcquisitionWirecutter—$25m

2022

Acquisition closed

The New York Times acquires The Athletic

The New York Times Company acquired The Athletic Media Company, a subscription sports site covering clubs and teams in the United States and abroad, for an all-cash price of $550.0 million funded from cash on hand. It was large enough to change how the company reports itself: from the first quarter of 2022 the Times has had two reportable segments, The New York Times Group and The Athletic.

Value
$550m
Seller
—
Regulatory
None recorded
Acquisition closed

The New York Times acquires Wordle

The New York Times Company bought Wordle from its creator Josh Wardle, months after the daily word game had become a global habit shared through grids of coloured squares. The Times has never disclosed the price. The game joined the Games portfolio alongside the Crossword and Spelling Bee, and the company keeps it free, treating it as a way to build an audience it can convert to subscriptions later.

Value
Undisclosed
Seller
—
Regulatory
None recorded

2016

Acquisition closed

The New York Times acquires Wirecutter

The New York Times Company bought the product review sites The Wirecutter and The Sweethome for $25.0 million, its first move into affiliate commerce as a revenue line. The two sites were later folded into a single Wirecutter brand, which the company began selling as a standalone subscription in 2021. The $25.0 million covered both sites; only Wirecutter survives as a brand.

Value
$25m
Seller
—
Regulatory
None recorded

The New York Times acquisitions on a timeline

Timeline of completed acquisitions by The New York Times

Full chart with a text equivalent, free to republish with attribution.