Zig Media
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, Media |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Joshua James, Adam Platzner, John Tornow |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Joshua James (Co-founder), Adam Platzner (Co-founder), John Tornow (Co-founder) |
| Products | Mobile media applications for news visualization |
| Owner | Billboard-Hollywood Reporter |
Zig Media is a technology firm specializing in mobile media, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and is owned by Billboard-Hollywood Reporter. Referred to by The New York Times as an "Instagram for news," Zig transforms both original and curated content into visual and video formats, distributing them through applications on mobile devices and desktop platforms.
By mid-2018, Zig had amassed a user base of 400,000 and attracted investments from notable media figures such as Graydon Carter, Ronald Meyer, Quincy Jones, and LiveNation. The service is designed to engage millennial users by reinventing how news is consumed through visually rich presentations.
History
In 2016, Joshua James and Adam Platzner, the company's cofounders, presented a contemporary visual concept addressing changing magazine preferences and news consumption habits to Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. According to The New York Times, Carter acknowledged the tendency of millennials to favor imagery over text. Together with cofounder John Tornow, James and Platzner created an algorithm that leverages personalized data from social media platforms to deliver image-centric news tailored to individual user interests.
Zig's application for iOS was launched in January 2018. Early backers included Graydon Carter, Ron Meyer, and Quincy Jones. By May 2018, the company secured an additional $1.6 million in funding from investors such as Alan Docter, Aviv Nevo, and LiveNation. In October 2018, Valence Media—an entity of Eldridge Industries—made an investment in Zig. The following year, The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard completed the acquisition of Zig Media.
Technology
Upon registration or through its content distribution networks, users provide Zig with their media preferences, enabling the platform’s algorithm to curate news visually aligned with their individual tastes. The system continuously adapts feeds by analyzing user engagement metrics like articles viewed or bypassed, enhancing personalization over time.
In 2018, Fast Company drew comparisons between Zig and platforms such as Apple News and Flipboard, emphasizing Zig’s superior use of imagery and customization capabilities. CNBC highlighted Zig’s focus on photographic content rather than textual information, noting that this reduces the time users spend searching for news online.