The Weather Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Weather forecasting, Information technology |
| Predecessor | The Weather Channel |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Fate | Acquired by Francisco Partners (2024) |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | weather.com, Weather Underground |
| Owner | Francisco Partners (since February 2024) |
The Weather Company LLC specializes in weather forecasting and information technology, operating websites such as weather.com, the digital platform for The Weather Channel, along with Weather Underground. Between 2016 and 2023, it functioned under IBM's Watson & Cloud Platform division. In February 2024, ownership transitioned to private equity firm Francisco Partners, resulting in The Weather Company becoming an independent entity.
History and operations
Originally established as The Weather Channel in 1980 and commencing broadcasts in 1982, the organization adopted the name The Weather Company in 2012 to better represent its growing digital services.
The company was once held by a partnership among the Blackstone Group, Bain Capital, and NBCUniversal. In January 2016, this group sold The Weather Company's technology and product assets to IBM while maintaining control of The Weather Channel cable network until it was sold to Entertainment Studios in March 2018. Under a long-term contract, the consortium granted IBM rights to use the weather data and branding.
In August 2023, IBM reached an agreement to divest The Weather Company to Francisco Partners for a total of $1.1 billion—comprising $750 million in upfront cash, $100 million deferred payment over seven years, and $250 million in performance-based consideration—with the transaction concluding in February 2024.