The digital media group DC Company (Le Gorafi, Les Eclaireuses) formalized on Tuesday the acquisition of Konbini, a leading media outlet for 15-35 year olds, making it its “flagship” and which should benefit from its “technological skills” in a sector in constant change. The amount of the transaction, by which the company created in 2021 acquires 100% of the capital of Konbini, until then mainly held by the Perrodo family, owner of the oil company Perenco, has not been specified.
Maintained at the helm of Konbini, its founders David Creuzot and Lucie Beudet, who held 20% of the capital, will sit on the supervisory committee of DC Company, of which they remain shareholders, while the Perrodo family retains “a minority stake without control” in the group, the latter specifies to AFP. This acquisition, announced in September, aims to raise DC Company “to the rank of major player in the ecosystem of French media groups”, its founder, Geoffrey La Rocca, told AFP.
The group now claims 40 million monthly users (including 30 million for Konbini, site visitors and subscribers to its social networks included) and 4 billion videos viewed per year (including 3.5 billion for Konbini), argues its director. general. This former journalist and ex-director of the advertising agency Teads also defends a “strategic alliance” between the technological know-how of DC Company and the creativity of the pioneer of online media launched in 2008, with an editorial line focused on entertainment and cultural information, LGBTQ issues or even post-MeToo subjects.
“Technology is becoming essential for us” to “prepare for the future” and “enrich our content,” adds David Creuzot, for whom innovations like augmented reality could “redistribute a lot of things.” Having become profitable with more than 20 million euros in turnover, Konbini owes half of its revenue to “brand content” (production of content for brands), still “at the heart of our strategy”, adds- he. The media employs some 175 people, including 40 press card holders.
Owner of the parody site Le Gorafi and the women’s media Les Eclaireuses, DC Company is also a shareholder of I/O Media (Têtu, The Good Life…) and includes the Propuls’her incubator and the community of DC entrepreneurs and managers Club. Its new acquisition confirms the appeal of online media targeting a young audience. Last year, billionaires Rodolphe Saadé (CMA CGM) and Xavier Niel (Iliad) invested or reinvested for the second in Brut, while billionaire Daniel Kretinsky (CMI) acquired 45% of Loopsider.
