Vinyl snaps up Pedestrian as Nine exits youth media brand

Vinyl Group will acquire Pedestrian Group from Nine Digital for what it called a "nominal consideration", adding one of Australia’s best-known youth media brands to its expanding culture and entertainment portfolio.

The ASX-listed company said it will acquire 100% of Pedestrian Group with no material cash consideration, no Vinyl Group scrip, no debt and no ongoing royalties attached to the deal. Completion is scheduled for 15 June.

Pedestrian's portfolio includes PEDESTRIAN.TV, Pedestrian Jobs, Openair Cinemas and Pedestrian Studio.

Vinyl said Pedestrian is expected to contribute between $600,000 to $800,000 in pro forma EBITDA in FY27 after the implementation of a restructure plan.

The acquisition marks another major move by Vinyl Group as it builds out Vinyl Media, its publishing division focused on culture, entertainment, youth media and branded content.

Pedestrian claims a monthly reach of some 9.4 million people across its various platforms, including about one million monthly readers and 75 million minutes of video content watched.

Its revenue comes from display advertising, native content, production, video, programmatic, BVOD, affiliate and jobs-related activity.

Vinyl said the acquisition expands its audience reach, branded content capability, social-first production expertise and commercial offering for advertisers looking to reach younger Australians.

It also gives Vinyl a wholly owned youth culture brand, reducing its reliance on licensed media brands.

Josh Simons, CEO of Vinyl Group, said Pedestrian adds a recognised local media brand to the company’s portfolio.

“Pedestrian Group is one of Australia’s most recognisable youth media brands, with a distinctive voice, loyal audience and strong reputation in culture and entertainment. The addition of Pedestrian’s brand further rebalances Vinyl’s portfolio of cultural assets through a mix of licensed and wholly owned, original IP,” Simons said.

Vinyl Group’s publishing division already operates Concrete Playground, Mediaweek and Tone Deaf and holds Australian licences for Rolling Stone, Variety, Refinery29, POPSUGAR, BuzzFeed, Tasty and LADbible Group titles including LADbible and SPORTbible.

The group also operates platforms including Vinyl.com, Vampr and Serenade.

For Nine, the sale marks another shift in its digital portfolio after a period of consolidation across its publishing and digital assets.