Val Morgan Digital and LADbible Group have struck a five-year strategic commercial partnership, effective 1 January 2024, that sees Val Morgan Digital assume commercial representation of LADbible Group in Australia and New Zealand.

The alliance will involve the integration of the LADbible Group sales and strategy teams with the Val Morgan Digital team. Australian-based creators will also collaborate with LADbible Group to produce bespoke localised content for the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The partnership is set to significantly expand Val Morgan Digital's reach. According to IPSOS Iris, the collaboration will extend the company's audience to 7.36 million people, positioning it as the largest online media publisher in Australia for the 14-39 year-old demographic. Val Morgan has two sister brands, Val Morgan Cinema and VMO, that allow brands to connect with audiences in cinema environments, retail, health and wellness clubs, petrol and convenience locations and office towers.

"We’re thrilled to be joining forces with the biggest social publisher in the world, with whom we share a commitment to foster vibrant digital youth communities," Managing Director of Val Morgan Digital, Brian Florido, said. "This partnership marks a significant step forward in our journey at Val Morgan Digital as the home of youth media in Australia to continue building a network that gives brands an unmatched opportunity to connect with highly engaged and hard-to-reach Australians.

"Excitingly, we’ve also opened the door to sport, with the addition of SPORTbible, Australia which will position us as a social leader in one of the biggest passion points for young Aussies.”

CEO of LADbible Group , Solly Solomou, echoed this sentiment. "This is an exciting day, as we announce our next phase of growth for the LADbible Group brands, and together strengthen our position as the go-to youth publisher for the APAC region," he said.

"As a global leader in creating content for youth audiences, this partnership with Val Morgan Digital will unlock further opportunities for our brands and provide our existing and new clients with a best in class commercial and creative offering."

Publisher of Val Morgan Digital, Amanda Bardas, also highlighted the potential of the partnership.

"The partnership with LADbible Group enhances our portfolio of brands and compliments what we’re about – building a network for people to explore their shared passions across a whole range of things, like gaming, beauty, food, sport, travel and entertainment," she said. "We’re excited to welcome the LADbible Group suite of brands and the team where we’ll continue creating vibrant Australian-centric content."

With 10 core brands, six websites reaching 86.7 million monthly users, and over 415 million followers across all social channels, LADbible Group's global presence spans the APAC, US, UK and Ireland. The partnership with Val Morgan Digital, which now reaches over 7.36 million Australians each month, is set to further enhance the group's reach and influence in the youth market.