We promised you ginourmous news on Friday. Unfortunately (or fortunately for our sun starved faces), the first real day of summer in San Francisco got in the way of us releasing the news yesterday. Drum roll, please.....
We are very excited to announce that 148Apps and our network of sites have been acquired by our friends at Steel Media! 148Apps joins the amazing network of mobile and app related sites such as
Pocket Gamer,
Pocket Gamer.biz,
AppSpy,
Padvance,
Quality Index, and more.
For more than four years 148Apps has covered the world of iOS apps and games. It started as a passion of mine and has now expanded to include the best writers this side of Mars. Now along with the Steel Media portfolio of sites, we have mobile apps and games covered from every angle.
We've included the press release below for the full details. Please get in touch if you have any questions. My contact details are on my author page. We are so excited to get things going. Onward and upward!
Cheers,
Jeff
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Steel Media acquires 148Apps Network
Founder Jeff Scott to spearhead Pocket Gamer publisher’s newly formed US venture
Bath, UK – 2nd October 2012 – They say everything’s big in America, so it’s rather appropriate that Steel Media’s acquisition of 148Apps and associated sites should be its biggest deal yet.
Launched soon after the appearance of the iTunes App Store in July 2008, 148Apps set off with, and has since kept to, a remit of providing readers with leading iOS app insight. The site’s imposing number of reviews and news has continually targeted the very best content for iOS device owners and 148Apps has deservedly garnered a reputation as one of the finest and most respected examples of iOS-dedicated editorial coverage around.
Of course, the real value to any website is the people who create it, so Steel Media is delighted to confirm that 148Apps founder Jeff Scott will remain on board and assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of our US ventures. Alongside his proven team, Jeff will therefore continue to focus on providing world-class iOS editorial coverage while also benefiting from the evolution that the backing provided by one of the largest publishers within the mobile gaming media sector will inevitably facilitate.
But the ambition doesn’t end there. The acquisition, which in addition to 148Apps also includes b2b sister site 148Apps.biz, Google-focused Android Rundown, child-friendly Giggle Apps, the already popular Best App Ever Awards, and the App Hall of Fame, is intended as the latest stage of the publisher’s ongoing expansion strategy, following on from last month’s acquisition of Padvance.
Working alongside existing management and editorial teams, Jeff will also be responsible for driving forward Steel Media sites and activities in the US – from new launches to further acquisitions and possible brand extensions.
"It's a thrill to join Steel Media and become part of the team behind great sites like Pocket Gamer. Bringing 148Apps into the Steel Media portfolio of mobile focused sites allows us to create the broadest coverage of games and apps in the mobile space,” said Jeff Scott, 148Apps founder and Editor-in-chief. “When starting the 148Apps Network over four years ago, my goal was to create a site that helped app lovers find the best of the best on the App Store. Joining with Steel Media helps us expedite that goal of guiding readers through the swell of nearly two million apps.
"The team at Steel Media will help us build out the next generation of mobile app sites. As we brainstorm the next big idea in our coverage of mobile, we are already seeing the benefits of the new larger company.”
“I'm delighted and hugely excited to welcome Jeff and the 148Apps team into the SM family, expanding our already impressive portfolio of owned sites and Alliance network partners (which include leading independent mobile content sites such as Slide to Play, Gamezebo, TouchGen, to name but three) to provide a strong position within the mobile gaming media sector,” said Chris James, Steel Media MD.
“Adding this respected US-centred network to our strong UK and European sites, plus AppSpy in Australia and partner projects in Asia, we can now combine our passion and market knowledge with genuine international presence. What’s more, in Jeff we have a passionate and determined professional ideally placed to help guide and push the US side of our business forward.”
148Apps.com
CONTACT
For more information, contact:
Chris James: chris [at] steelmedia.co.uk
Jeff Scott: jeff.scott [at] 148apps.com
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Notes to editors
About Steel Media
Steel Media is a leading mobile consumer technology publisher based in the UK. With a team boasting over 90 years of experience in consumer and contract publishing, the company currently publishes Europe’s biggest mobile and handheld gaming website PocketGamer.co.uk, which is licensed internationally, the leading mobile games industry portal PocketGamer.biz, consumer friendly iOS digital magazine swipe, the Pocket Gamer Guides range of interactive game companion apps, and leading iPhone video review portal AppSpy.
Steel Media also runs critical aggregator Quality Index and app-promotion service Free App Alliance, as well as the Smartphone Alliance advertising network covering over 50 leading independent sites and 35M+ monthly users. Other activities include the syndication of content to mobile operators and handset manufacturers, and the provision of a range of editorial, design and other contract publishing services to a number of leading blue chip brands including Nokia, Microsoft, Sony Mobile and ARM.
For further information on the Pocket Gamer network or Steel Media, contact Chris James: chris [at] steelmedia.co.uk
About the 148Apps Network
148Apps launched in July 2008 to cover the 500 apps available at the launch of the iTunes App Store. From there we have expanded our coverage and tirelessly tracked the growth of the app industry to nearly two million apps via editorial reviews and news, while never losing sight of the need to provide readers with world-class insight into the very best in iOS applications.
Alongside the growth of the App Store, the 148Apps network has also expanded to include b2b site 148Apps.biz, Google-focused Android Rundown, child-friendly Giggle Apps, the popular Best App Ever Awards, and the App Hall of Fame, amongst others.
For further information on the 148Apps network, contact Jeff Scott: jeff.scott [at] 148apps.com
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