Viral Content Publisher LadBible Considers IPO, Sky Reports

(Bloomberg) -- LadBible Group, a British owner of viral content publishers targeting young people, is exploring options that may include a stock market listing or partial sale, Sky News reported.

The company is working with Zeus Capital to consider possibilities, Sky said, citing people familiar with the process who it didn’t identify, while adding that a decision on whether to pursue an initial public offering in London may take several months.

The Manchester, England-based group may seek a valuation of 350 million pounds to 400 million pounds ($486 million-$555 million), the report added.

The firm’s flagship LADbible brand, and UNILAD, acquired in 2018, both have about 45 million followers on Facebook. Ranked by user engagements, LADbible was the most popular publisher on the social network in 2019, while UNILAD placed second, according to the media-intelligence website Newswhip.

The term “lad” is a Britishism referring to a young male, but has come to mean someone who “engages in typical testosterone-driven behavior,” according to the Urban Dictionary website. However, LadBible has sought to shake off its single-gender image, launching female-focused brand Tyla.

The firm’s reach has recently seen it used by British politicians, including leader of the opposition Labour Party Keir Starmer, to target young voters.

LadBible had about 29 million pounds of revenue in 2019, with a pretax profit of 2.1 million pounds, according to a filing with the Companies House registry. The firm is targeting an expansion into the U.S. market, Sky added.

LadBible and Zeus Capital declined to comment, Sky said.

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