NowThis

NowThis Media

Company type	Private
Industry	Media
Founded	2012
Founder	Kenneth Lerer, Eric Hippeau
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Sharon Mussalli (CEO)
Products	Video content for social media platforms
Parent	Accelerate Change (since April 2023)

NowThis Media is a U.S.-based progressive media organization with a primary focus on social media platforms, established in 2012. The company produces brief video content aimed predominantly at Millennials and Generation Z audiences.

History

The inception of NowThis traces back to September 2012, founded by HuffPost co-founder and former chairman Kenneth Lerer alongside ex-CEO Eric Hippeau. Initially, the company concentrated solely on social networks such as Facebook and announced in 2015 the decision to operate without a traditional website homepage, although this approach was reversed by 2018.

On December 8, 2015, NowThis raised $16.2 million during its Series D funding round to broaden its dedicated channel offerings, reporting that 68% of its viewers were Millennials aged between 18 and 34. Edward O'Keefe held the role of editor-in-chief from 2012 until 2014. By 2013, the firm was producing roughly 50 video segments daily and attracted between 15 and 20 million views each month.

In 2016, NowThis merged efforts with The Dodo, Thrillist, and Seeker to create Group Nine Media, which was later acquired by Vox Media in February 2022.

In June 2020, following allegations of sexual misconduct against associate producer Jackson Davis, NowThis initially suspended him and subsequently terminated his employment after a thorough investigation.

April 2023 marked NowThis’s separation from Vox Media when it was acquired by the nonprofit entity Accelerate Change. Later that year, Sharon Mussalli became the first female CEO in the company’s history. In March 2024, NowMedia Networks was introduced, integrating NowThis with other publishing brands to collectively reach an audience of 190 million.

In February 2024, about half of NowThis’s staff were laid off as part of a strategic restructuring aimed at securing long-term viability amid shifting industry conditions.

By October 2024, NowThis revealed its first-ever Advisory Board, comprising business leaders with specialized knowledge of the Gen Z demographic.

A second wave of layoffs occurred in November 2024, primarily impacting unionized workers; while employees reported these reductions, the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) did not officially confirm them.

Content

NowThis produces content that primarily appeals to left-leaning Millennials. An investigation by BuzzFeed News identified NowThis as the leading progressive Facebook site from 2015 through 2017 alongside Occupy Democrats, together responsible for half of the top 50 Facebook posts during that period. According to research by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, NowThis’s videos often rely on emotional appeal to increase engagement and sharing but have faced criticism for their partisan nature.

Controversies and errors

In 2015, NowThis inaccurately reported that CNN had removed a poll showing Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton during a Democratic debate. PolitiFact rated this claim "Pants on Fire" after verifying CNN had indeed published the poll results.

Following the 2016 election, NowThis shared a CNN clip featuring commentator Van Jones but omitted CNN's branding, prompting intellectual property concerns. The video was removed from Facebook but remained accessible on Twitter.

During the same election cycle, NowThis incorrectly asserted that Donald Trump lied about Bill Clinton signing NAFTA. PolitiFact confirmed Clinton's involvement in signing NAFTA and classified the claim as false.

In 2019, NowThis tweeted that North Carolina Republicans exploited a 9/11 memorial to deceive Democrats into missing an important vote—a statement amplified by Senator Elizabeth Warren but later debunked by PolitiFact. No correction was issued by NowThis.

In January 2020, NowThis took down a video segment where a student incorrectly claimed that Holocaust diarist Anne Frank did not perish in a concentration camp; in fact, Anne Frank died at Bergen-Belsen in early 1945.