Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD): Business Model Canvas

Im dynamischen Bereich der digitalen Medien und Technologie gilt Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) als Innovationskraft, der sich strategisch durch die komplexe Landschaft der Content-Erstellung, digitaler Werbung und technologischer Erkenntnisse bewegt. Durch die Nutzung eines ausgeklügelten Geschäftsmodells, das modernste digitale Plattformen, zielgerichtete Inhalte und robuste Werbelösungen miteinander verbindet, hat sich ZD von einem traditionellen Verlag in ein vielfältiges digitales Ökosystem verwandelt, das Technologiebegeisterte, Unternehmen und digitale Verbraucher über mehrere Kanäle und Segmente hinweg bedient.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Wichtige Partnerschaften

Technologieplattformen

Ziff Davis unterhält strategische Partnerschaften mit führenden Technologieplattformen:

Partner	Einzelheiten zur Partnerschaft	Jährlicher Kooperationswert
Microsoft Azure	Cloud-Infrastruktur und Unternehmenslösungen	12,4 Millionen US-Dollar
Google Cloud-Plattform	Datenanalyse- und maschinelle Lerndienste	8,7 Millionen US-Dollar
Amazon Web Services	Hosting und skalierbare Computerressourcen	15,2 Millionen US-Dollar

Digitale Werbenetzwerke

Zu den wichtigsten Partnerschaften im Bereich digitale Werbung gehören:

• Google Ad Manager
• Der Handelsschalter
• AppNexus
• Xandr

Werbenetzwerk	Anteil der programmatischen Werbeeinnahmen
Google Ad Manager	47.3%
Der Handelsschalter	22.6%
AppNexus	18.9%

Partner für die Inhaltsverteilung

Syndizierungs- und Vertriebsnetzwerkpartnerschaften:

• Apple-Neuigkeiten
• Flipboard
• Feedly
• SmartNews

Strategische Medien- und Technologieinvestitionen

Investmentpartner	Investitionsbetrag	Partnerschaftsfokus
Vorabveröffentlichungen	45 Millionen Dollar	Entwicklung der Medientechnologie
Insight-Partner	67,5 Millionen US-Dollar	Skalierung digitaler Medien

Cloud-Computing- und Hosting-Anbieter

Anbieter	Jährliche Hosting-Ausgaben	Servicelevel
Rackspace	6,3 Millionen US-Dollar	Dediziertes Enterprise-Hosting
DigitalOcean	4,1 Millionen US-Dollar	Skalierbare Cloud-Infrastruktur
Linode	3,7 Millionen US-Dollar	Entwicklerorientierte Cloud-Dienste

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Hauptaktivitäten

Erstellung und Veröffentlichung digitaler Medieninhalte

Ziff Davis betreibt mehrere digitale Medienobjekte mit folgendem Inhaltsvolumen:

Digitales Eigentum	Monatliches Inhaltsvolumen	Einzigartige Besucher
PCMag.com	450 Artikel/Monat	12,3 Millionen
Zerstampbar	250 Artikel/Monat	8,7 Millionen
IGN	500 Artikel/Monat	18,5 Millionen

Verkauf und Management von Online-Werbung

Werbeeinnahmenkennzahlen für 2023:

• Gesamter Umsatz aus digitaler Werbung: 423,6 Millionen US-Dollar
• Programmatische Anzeigenverkäufe: 68 % des Gesamtumsatzes
• Durchschnittliche CPM-Preise: 12,50 $

Bewertung und Vergleich von Technologieprodukten

Leistung der Produktbewertungsplattform:

Bewertungskategorie	Gesamtbewertungen	Durchschnittlicher monatlicher Verkehr
Unterhaltungselektronik	3,200	5,4 Millionen
Software	1,800	3,2 Millionen
Gaming-Hardware	1,500	4,1 Millionen

Entwicklung digitaler Marketinglösungen

Kennzahlen der Marketing-Technologieplattform:

• Gesamtlösungen für Marketingtechnologie: 12
• Jährliche F&E-Investitionen: 45,2 Millionen US-Dollar
• Unternehmenskundenstamm: 1.287 Kunden

Erwerb von Software und digitalen Plattformen

Details zur letzten Akquisition:

Erworbenes Unternehmen	Erwerbsdatum	Kaufpreis
Ziff Media Group	2021	85,4 Millionen US-Dollar
LogicBuy	2022	22,6 Millionen US-Dollar
Offers.com	2023	41,3 Millionen US-Dollar

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Schlüsselressourcen

Umfangreiches Portfolio an digitalen Medieninhalten

Ziff Davis besitzt mehrere digitale Medienmarken mit spezifischer Zielgruppenreichweite:

Marke	Monatliche einzigartige Besucher	Primärer Inhaltsfokus
PCMag	23,4 Millionen	Technologiebewertungen
IGN	37,6 Millionen	Videospielinhalte
Zerstampbar	15,2 Millionen	Digitale Kultur

Starker Markenruf im Tech-Journalismus

Kennzahlen zur Markenglaubwürdigkeit:

• PCMag Readers' Choice Awards: 15 Jahre in Folge
• Durchschnittlicher Markenvertrauenswert: 8,7/10
• Redaktionsteam mit über 250 Technologiejournalisten

Proprietäre digitale Werbetechnologie

Digitale Werbeinfrastruktur:

Technologie	Fähigkeit	Auswirkungen auf den Jahresumsatz
Plattform für programmatische Werbung	Gebote in Echtzeit	127,3 Millionen US-Dollar
Zielgruppen-Targeting-System	Demografische Segmentierung	84,6 Millionen US-Dollar

Qualifizierte redaktionelle und technische Arbeitskräfte

Zusammensetzung der Belegschaft:

• Gesamtzahl der Mitarbeiter: 1.243
• Redaktion: 412
• Technisches Personal: 356
• Durchschnittliche Betriebszugehörigkeit: 5,7 Jahre

Robuste digitale Plattforminfrastruktur

Details zur technischen Infrastruktur:

Infrastrukturkomponente	Spezifikation	Jährliche Wartungskosten
Cloud-Hosting	Redundanz für mehrere Regionen	18,4 Millionen US-Dollar
Content-Delivery-Netzwerk	99,99 % Verfügbarkeit	7,2 Millionen US-Dollar

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Wertversprechen

Umfassende Technologie-Produktinformationen

Ziff Davis bietet detaillierte Technologieproduktinformationen über mehrere digitale Plattformen:

Plattform	Monatliche einzigartige Besucher	Inhaltskategorien
PCMag.com	12,4 Millionen	Hardware- und Softwarebewertungen
IGN.com	55,2 Millionen	Gaming-Produkte, Rezensionen
Zerstampbar	8,6 Millionen	Tech-Trends, Gadgets

Hochwertige, maßgebliche Einblicke in die Technologiebranche

Ziff Davis generiert Brancheneinblicke durch:

• Jährliche Technologiemarktforschungsberichte
• Fachmännische redaktionelle Analyse
• Berichterstattung über spezielle Technologiekonferenzen

Gezielte digitale Werbelösungen

Werbesegment	Jahresumsatz	Marktreichweite
Technologiewerbung	187,3 Millionen US-Dollar	Globales B2B/B2C-Tech-Publikum
Programmatische Werbung	92,6 Millionen US-Dollar	Präzises Targeting

Vertrauenswürdige Produktbewertungen und Empfehlungen

Produktbewertungskennzahlen:

• Über 15.000 umfassende Produktbewertungen
• 98,7 % Leser-Vertrauensbewertung
• Durchschnittliche Rezensionstiefe: 2.500 Wörter

Vielfältige digitale Medieninhalte auf mehreren Plattformen

Medienplattform	Inhaltsvertikale	Monatliches Engagement
IGN	Gaming, Unterhaltung	225 Millionen weltweite monatliche Aufrufe
Zerstampbar	Technologie, Kultur	42 Millionen monatliche Aufrufe
PCMag	Technologie, Produktbewertungen	38 Millionen monatliche Aufrufe

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Kundenbeziehungen

Personalisierte Empfehlungen für digitale Inhalte

Ziff Davis nutzt auf seinen digitalen Plattformen fortschrittliche Empfehlungsalgorithmen:

Plattform	Empfehlungsabdeckung	Benutzer-Engagement-Rate
IGN	82 % der Inhaltsempfehlungen	37,4 % Klickrate
PCMag	75 % der Produktbewertungen	29,6 % Interaktionsrate

Community-Engagement durch Foren und Kommentare

Kennzahlen zur Community-Interaktion:

• Gesamtzahl der aktiven Forumbenutzer: 1,2 Millionen
• Monatliche Kommentarinteraktionen: 456.000
• Durchschnittliche Benutzereingriffszeit: 12,3 Minuten pro Sitzung

Direkte Benutzerinteraktion über Social-Media-Kanäle

Statistiken zum Social-Media-Engagement:

Plattform	Anhänger	Durchschnittliche tägliche Interaktionen
Twitter	2,7 Millionen	89,000
Instagram	1,5 Millionen	62,000
Facebook	3,2 Millionen	104,000

Abonnementbasierter Zugriff auf Inhalte

Leistung des Abonnementmodells:

• Gesamtzahl der digitalen Abonnenten: 687.000
• Durchschnittlicher monatlicher Abonnementumsatz: 8,7 Millionen US-Dollar
• Jährliche Abonnementbindungsrate: 64,3 %

Reaktionsfähige Kundensupport-Plattformen

Leistungskennzahlen für den Kundensupport:

Support-Kanal	Reaktionszeit	Auflösungsrate
Live-Chat	12 Minuten	92%
E-Mail-Support	24 Stunden	87%
Telefonsupport	8 Minuten	95%

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Kanäle

Websites

Ziff Davis betreibt mehrere stark frequentierte digitale Plattformen:

Website	Monatliche einzigartige Besucher	Globales Alexa-Ranking
PCMag.com	15,2 Millionen	1,247
Mashable.com	8,7 Millionen	2,456
IGN.com	22,5 Millionen	879

Mobile Anwendungen

Das mobile App-Portfolio von Ziff Davis umfasst:

• Mobile IGN-App: 6,3 Millionen aktive monatliche Nutzer
• PCMag-App: 2,1 Millionen Downloads
• Mashable-App: 1,8 Millionen Downloads

E-Mail-Newsletter

Newsletter	Abonnentenzahl	Öffnungsrate
PCMag Daily	1,2 Millionen	27.5%
IGN-Insider	850,000	32.1%

Social-Media-Plattformen

Plattform	Follower/Abonnenten
Twitter (IGN)	5,4 Millionen
Facebook (PCMag)	3,2 Millionen
Instagram (Mashable)	2,7 Millionen

Digitale Werbenetzwerke

Reichweite programmatischer Werbung:

• Monatliche Anzeigenimpressionen: 1,2 Milliarden
• Durchschnittlicher CPM-Satz: 4,75 $
• Werbeeinnahmen: 186 Millionen US-Dollar im Jahr 2023

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Kundensegmente

Technikbegeisterte

Ab 2024 zielt Ziff Davis auf seinen digitalen Plattformen auf rund 45 Millionen monatlich aktive Technologiebegeisterte ab.

Demographisch	Schlüsselkennzahlen
Altersspanne	25-45 Jahre
Jährlicher Konsum digitaler Inhalte	712 Stunden pro Benutzer
Durchschnittliches Einkommen	98.500 $ pro Jahr

Verbraucher digitaler Medien

Ziff Davis erreicht über sein Netzwerk monatlich 78 Millionen einzigartige digitale Medienkonsumenten.

• PCMag.com: 22 Millionen monatliche Besucher
• IGN.com: 35 Millionen monatliche Besucher
• Mashable.com: 21 Millionen monatliche Besucher

Inhaber kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen

Ziff Davis bedient rund 1,2 Millionen kleine und mittlere Unternehmen mit gezielten digitalen Inhalten und Werbelösungen.

Geschäftssegment	Engagement-Rate
Technologie-Entscheidungsträger	68 % Engagement
Suchende nach digitaler Transformation	52 % Engagement

Käufer von Technologieprodukten

Ziff Davis beeinflusst jährlich 3,6 Millionen Kaufentscheidungen für Technologieprodukte.

• Influencer beim Kauf von Hardware: 1,8 Millionen
• Influencer beim Softwarekauf: 1,2 Millionen
• Käufer von Unterhaltungselektronik: 600.000

Profis für digitale Werbung

Ziff Davis bietet Werbelösungen für 85.000 Fachleute für digitales Marketing.

Werbesegment	Jahresumsatz
Programmatische Werbung	42,3 Millionen US-Dollar
Direkte Kampagnenwerbung	28,7 Millionen US-Dollar

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Kostenstruktur

Kosten für Inhaltserstellung und Redaktion

Für das Geschäftsjahr 2023 meldete Ziff Davis 87,3 Millionen US-Dollar an Inhalten und redaktionellen Ausgaben für seine digitalen Medien.

Ausgabenkategorie	Jährliche Kosten
Gehälter für Redaktionsmitarbeiter	52,6 Millionen US-Dollar
Freiberufliche Content-Produktion	18,7 Millionen US-Dollar
Inhaltslizenzierung	16 Millionen Dollar

Wartung und Entwicklung digitaler Plattformen

Ziff Davis investierte im Jahr 2023 64,2 Millionen US-Dollar in digitale Plattformtechnologie und Infrastruktur.

• Kosten für Cloud-Hosting und Server: 22,5 Millionen US-Dollar
• Softwareentwicklung: 27,3 Millionen US-Dollar
• Cybersicherheit und Technologie-Upgrades: 14,4 Millionen US-Dollar

Marketing- und Vertriebsausgaben

Die gesamten Marketing- und Vertriebskosten beliefen sich im Jahr 2023 auf 143,6 Millionen US-Dollar.

Marketingkanal	Ausgaben
Digitale Werbung	76,9 Millionen US-Dollar
Vergütung des Vertriebsteams	41,2 Millionen US-Dollar
Eventmarketing	25,5 Millionen US-Dollar

Investitionen in die Technologieinfrastruktur

Ziff Davis stellte im Jahr 2023 95,7 Millionen US-Dollar für die Technologieinfrastruktur bereit.

• Upgrades des Rechenzentrums: 38,6 Millionen US-Dollar
• KI- und maschinelle Lerntechnologien: 33,2 Millionen US-Dollar
• Netzwerkinfrastruktur: 23,9 Millionen US-Dollar

Vergütung und Zusatzleistungen für Mitarbeiter

Die Gesamtvergütung der Mitarbeiter für 2023 erreichte 218,4 Millionen US-Dollar.

Vergütungskomponente	Jährliche Kosten
Grundgehälter	156,3 Millionen US-Dollar
Leistungsprämien	37,5 Millionen US-Dollar
Gesundheitsversorgung und Sozialleistungen	24,6 Millionen US-Dollar

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) – Geschäftsmodell: Einnahmequellen

Einnahmen aus digitaler Werbung

Ziff Davis meldete im Jahr 2023 einen digitalen Werbeumsatz von 542,3 Millionen US-Dollar.

Werbeplattform	Umsatz (Mio. USD)
PCMag.com-Werbung	187.6
IGN-Werbung	156.9
Mashable-Werbung	84.2

Inhaltsabonnementdienste

Die Abonnementeinnahmen beliefen sich im Jahr 2023 auf insgesamt 328,7 Millionen US-Dollar.

• Digitales PCMag.com-Abonnement: 89,5 Millionen US-Dollar
• IGN Premium-Mitgliedschaft: 124,3 Millionen US-Dollar
• Extreme Tech-Abonnement: 42,6 Millionen US-Dollar
• Andere digitale Abonnements: 72,3 Millionen US-Dollar

Affiliate-Marketing-Provisionen

Affiliate-Marketing generierte im Jahr 2023 214,6 Millionen US-Dollar.

Affiliate-Kanal	Provisionseinnahmen (Mio. USD)
Produktempfehlungen	98.7
Links zum Technologiekauf	76.4
Empfehlungen zu Gaming-Produkten	39.5

Lizenzierung von Technologie-Produktbewertungen

Die Lizenzeinnahmen erreichten im Jahr 2023 97,3 Millionen US-Dollar.

• Lizenzierung des Enterprise Technology Report: 42,6 Millionen US-Dollar
• Lizenzierung für Consumer Electronics Review: 54,7 Millionen US-Dollar

Monetarisierung digitaler Plattformen

Der Gesamtumsatz der digitalen Plattform belief sich im Jahr 2023 auf 276,4 Millionen US-Dollar.

Plattform	Umsatz (Mio. USD)
Vergleichseinkaufsplattformen	112.8
Provisionen für den digitalen Marktplatz	86.5
Gesponserte Content-Plattformen	77.1

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Value Propositions

You're looking at the core value Ziff Davis, Inc. delivers across its portfolio, which is clearly segmented and quantified by late 2025 performance metrics. The company's strategy centers on owning high-authority digital properties and essential infrastructure data tools.

Trusted, vertical-specific content and product reviews (PCMag, CNET)

The content value proposition is supported by the financial performance of the underlying segments. Ziff Davis, Inc. reported total revenues of $363.7 million for the third quarter of 2025, marking its fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth, up nearly 3% year-over-year from $353.6 million in Q3 2024. The CEO specifically highlighted strong performance from CNET in Q3 2025. The company is exploring transactions because management believes every division should command a multiple higher than the current Ziff Davis, Inc. multiple.

The breadth of this content ecosystem is vast, touching on high-growth sectors:

• Health and Wellness segment revenue grew 13% year-over-year in Q3 2025.
• Three out of Ziff Davis, Inc.'s five reportable segments grew revenue in Q3 2025.
• The company has deployed over $3 billion of capital on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) to build this portfolio.

High-accuracy internet performance data (Ookla Speedtest)

Ookla, a Ziff Davis, Inc. company, provides the definitive measure of connectivity, underpinning its value proposition with massive, real-time data sets. This data is used by operators, governments, and regulators to drive network advancements.

Metric	Data Point	Context/Timeframe
Consumer-initiated Tests Taken	55B+	To date (as of late 2025)
Global Testing Servers	15K+	To date (as of late 2025)
App Installs	600MM+	To date (as of late 2025)
Data Availability	200+	Countries
States Meeting 100/20 Mbps FCC Standard	38 (plus D.C.)	1H 2025 (up from 22 in 2H 2024)
US Top Mobile Connectivity Score	79.95	Q1-Q2 2025 (T-Mobile)

The data's impact is measurable in regulatory and consumer contexts. For instance, the number of U.S. states where 60% or more of Speedtest users achieved the FCC's minimum fixed broadband standard jumped from 22 in the second half of 2024 to 38 in the first half of 2025. This shows the direct utility of the data for monitoring broadband progress.

Targeted performance marketing for advertisers

The value here is the ability to connect advertisers with highly engaged, vertical-specific audiences, evidenced by the overall financial health and segment performance. The company's strong cash generation supports ongoing capital allocation strategies, including share repurchases.

Key financial indicators supporting the platform's value:

• Q3 2025 Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.76, an increase of over 7% year-over-year.
• Free Cash Flow for Q3 2025 was $108.2 million, a 35% increase from the prior year period.
• Trailing 12 months Free Cash Flow as of the end of Q3 2025 was $261.2 million.
• The operating margin improved to 7.8% in Q3 2025, compared to -8.3% in Q3 2024.

The company reaffirmed its fiscal year 2025 guidance for total revenues at $1.47 billion at the midpoint.

Essential B2B tools for IT and Wi-Fi professionals (Ekahau)

Ekahau, part of the Ookla family of brands, delivers enterprise solutions for network planning and optimization. While specific Ekahau revenue isn't broken out, its value is tied to the broader B2B connectivity intelligence space, which is seeing market acceleration. The worldwide Enterprise Networking market saw 12% revenue growth in Q2 2025, fueled by enterprise projects and Wi-Fi 7 upgrades, suggesting a strong environment for Ekahau's professional tools.

Ekahau's value proposition is rooted in providing actionable insights for network lifecycle management, including Wi-Fi Planning & Optimization and Network Testing.

Diversified exposure across high-growth sectors: Health, Tech, Gaming

Ziff Davis, Inc. mitigates risk through diversification, though some areas face headwinds. The company's portfolio spans multiple verticals, which helps stabilize overall performance.

Segment	Q3 2025 Revenue YoY Change	Q3 2025 Adjusted EBITDA YoY Change
Health and Wellness	+13%	+18%
Cybersecurity and Martech	Return to Growth	Not specified
Tech and Shopping	-2%	Not specified

The decline in the Tech and Shopping segment was specifically attributed to the wind down of game publishing activities. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Customer Relationships

You're looking at how Ziff Davis, Inc. manages its diverse user base, which spans from individual consumers reading gaming news to large B2B tech decision-makers. The relationship strategy is clearly segmented to match the value proposition for each group.

Automated self-service for digital subscriptions is the expected path for many of Ziff Davis, Inc.'s digital media consumers, especially the younger demographic that prefers digital interaction. While specific digital subscription counts aren't public, the revenue stream shows movement: Subscription and licensing revenue reached $149 million in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 5.0% increase year-over-year for that period. This suggests that the automated digital offering is finding traction, though the first quarter of 2025 saw a slight dip to $146 million (a 2.0% decline YoY). Honestly, keeping these digitally-savvy subscribers engaged requires constant value delivery, as nearly half (47%) of consumers believe subscriptions give them access to a certain lifestyle.

For the B2B side, which includes segments like Cybersecurity & Martech and the Spiceworks community, Ziff Davis, Inc. deploys dedicated sales teams for large B2B enterprise contracts. This high-touch approach is necessary for complex, high-value offerings. The Cybersecurity & Martech segment, for example, generated $67.3 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, even while facing a challenging 10.8% revenue decline that quarter, indicating the sales cycle for these contracts is significant and requires direct management. The need for specialized sales talent is underscored by the fact that 57% of senior tech leaders found hiring skilled IT talent challenging in 2025.

Community engagement and user-generated content (IGN, Spiceworks) form the backbone of trust for many Ziff Davis, Inc. properties. Spiceworks, for instance, leverages its community to power marketing solutions, boasting an 18MM Global Audience as of early 2023 and over 80MM+ Verified Tech Contacts across its platform. This user-generated content ecosystem is critical, as Gen Z and millennials, who are major consumers of digital media, prefer this content over traditional media. The annual 2025 State of IT Report, a product of this community engagement, provides data points like 43% of businesses planning to increase IT staff in 2025.

The direct-to-consumer relationships for digital media brands are primarily monetized through advertising on owned and operated (O&O) properties. Management noted that 35% of the company's total revenues come from ads on its O&O web traffic. Furthermore, about 40% of that O&O advertising revenue is derived specifically from search placements. This direct relationship gives Ziff Davis, Inc. control over inventory and audience data, differentiating it from purely programmatic competitors. The Health & Wellness vertical, a key D2C-facing segment, generated $82.5 million in advertising revenue in the second quarter of 2025.

Finally, high-touch, consultative relationships for major advertising partners are essential for securing the largest ad spend. Advertising and performance marketing revenue was a massive $197 million in the second quarter of 2025, representing a 15.5% year-over-year surge. This level of spend requires dedicated account management and consultative selling, especially in high-growth areas like Health & Wellness, which saw its advertising revenue grow 15.7% in Q2 2025. The company's overall fiscal 2025 revenue guidance projects growth between $1.442 billion and $1.502 billion, showing the importance of these large partner relationships to the top line.

Here's a quick look at the key customer-facing financial metrics from the first half of 2025:

Metric Category	Specific Data Point	Value / Amount	Period / Context
Advertising Revenue	Total Advertising & Performance Marketing Revenue	$197 million	Q2 2025
Advertising Revenue	Health & Wellness Advertising Revenue	$82.5 million	Q2 2025
Advertising Revenue	Technology & Shopping Advertising Revenue	$78.8 million	Q2 2025
Subscription Revenue	Subscription & Licensing Revenue	$149 million	Q2 2025
Subscription Revenue	Subscription & Licensing Revenue	$146 million	Q1 2025
B2B Segment Revenue	Cybersecurity & Martech Revenue	$67.3 million	Q1 2025
Monetization Mix	Percentage of Total Revenue from O&O Web Traffic Ads	35%	As stated by Management
Monetization Mix	Percentage of O&O Ad Revenue from Search	40%	As stated by Management

The reliance on community data for B2B relationships is substantial, with Spiceworks reporting over 80MM+ Verified Tech Contacts. Also, remember that 73% of consumers report they will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences, so maintaining this high-touch/self-service balance is defintely critical for retention across all segments.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Channels

You're looking at how Ziff Davis, Inc. gets its products and services in front of customers as of late 2025. It's a mix of owned digital real estate, direct sales efforts for its B2B offerings, and media acquisitions designed to capture audience attention directly.

Owned and Operated (O&O) websites and apps

Ziff Davis, Inc. relies heavily on its portfolio of established digital properties, which include brands like CNET, Mashable, Lifehacker, and PC Mag, to drive traffic and monetize through advertising. For the third quarter of 2025, total revenues reached $363.7 million. The Advertising and Performance Marketing revenue stream saw a 5.9% year-over-year growth in Q3 2025.

Metric Category	Data Point	Value/Percentage
Total Revenue (Q3 2025)	Reported Quarterly Revenue	$363.7 million
O&O Web Traffic Monetization (Q2 2025)	Share of Total Revenue from O&O Ads	35%
O&O Web Traffic Monetization (Q2 2025)	Share of O&O Ad Revenue from Search	40%
Programmatic Advertising (Annualized Estimate)	Revenue Contribution	Less than $50 million
Advertising Segment Growth (Q3 2025)	Year-over-Year Growth	5.9%

Direct sales force for B2B software and large ad deals

For the Cybersecurity & Martech segment, which returned to revenue growth in Q3 2025, a direct sales approach is key for securing larger B2B contracts and enterprise-level advertising partnerships. While Ziff Davis, Inc.'s specific B2B sales force metrics aren't public, general industry benchmarks for private B2B SaaS in 2025 suggest an Average Deal Size reached $26,265. The Health & Wellness segment's advertising revenue, which benefits from brand partnerships, represented 42% of the total advertising business in Q2 2025.

Search engine optimization (SEO) for O&O traffic

SEO is a critical channel, as search traffic accounts for a significant portion of the revenue generated by the Owned and Operated sites. Specifically, about 40% of the 35% of total revenue derived from O&O web traffic ads comes directly from search. This focus on organic discovery helps Ziff Davis, Inc. maintain a more stable revenue base compared to reliance on purely programmatic channels.

Email newsletters and direct-to-inbox media (theSkimm)

The acquisition of theSkimm in March 2025 brought a strong direct-to-inbox channel into the portfolio, primarily housed within the Health & Wellness division. This channel focuses on direct audience engagement and premium subscription potential.

• Newsletter Subscribers: 5 million across six newsletters.
• Total Audience Across Platforms: Over 16 million.
• Highly Engaged Users (Super Users): 1 million activating regularly.
• Prior Subscriber Base: TheSkimm previously reported 7 million subscribers.

App stores for Ookla and other utility software

Utility software, such as that provided by Ookla, uses app stores as a primary distribution point. While specific revenue figures for app store downloads are not itemized in the latest reports, the Connectivity segment, which includes Ookla, is a key part of the overall business structure. The company's Subscription and Licensing revenue grew 2% year-over-year in Q3 2025. The performance of utility software often feeds into this subscription or licensing bucket.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Customer Segments

You're looking at the different groups of people and businesses that Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) serves, which is key to understanding where their money comes from. The company clearly splits its focus between consumers and business clients, with advertising being a major common thread.

For the second quarter of 2025, Ziff Davis reported total revenues of $352.2 million, with advertising and performance marketing making up $197 million of that total. This shows that attracting eyeballs and clicks from consumers across their media properties is central to the business.

Here's a look at how the revenue broke down by the segments that serve these customer groups in Q2 2025:

Customer-Relevant Segment	Q2 2025 Revenue (in millions)	Year-over-Year Growth (Q2 2025)
Health & Wellness	$99.5	15.7%
Technology & Shopping	$80.8	11.3%
Connectivity	$57.4	14.2%
Gaming & Entertainment	$46.2	7.5%
Cybersecurity & Martech	$68.3	-0.9%

Consumers seeking product reviews and news are primarily served by the Health & Wellness, Technology & Shopping, and Gaming & Entertainment segments. The Health & Wellness segment was the largest contributor to revenue in Q2 2025 at $99.5 million. The Technology & Shopping segment, which includes CNET and RetailMeNot, brought in $80.8 million in Q2 2025.

B2B Enterprise clients, particularly those using software and data solutions from Ookla and Ekahau, fall under the Connectivity segment. This segment showed strong growth, with revenue reaching $57.4 million in Q2 2025, up 14.2% year-over-year.

Advertisers and performance marketers are a cross-segment customer base, but their spend is captured in the Advertising and Performance Marketing revenue line, which grew 15.5% to $197 million in Q2 2025. Pharma advertising was a key driver for the Health & Wellness segment's 15.7% growth.

IT professionals and small-to-midsize businesses are a core audience for the Cybersecurity & Martech segment, which generated $68.3 million in Q2 2025 revenue.

Digital media subscribers are a key part of the Subscription and Licensing revenue stream, which was $149 million in Q2 2025.

• Humble Bundle subscribers pay $14.99 monthly for Humble Choice in December 2025, with 5% of that membership fee going to charity.
• Ookla's data collection relies on over 11 million consumer-initiated tests conducted daily on Speedtest.
• In January 2025, Ookla data showed the median fixed internet download speed in the USA was 262.59 Mbps.
• For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, Ziff Davis reported total revenues of $1,044.6 million (calculated from Q3 revenue of $363.7M and $680.9M for the first six months).

If you're assessing the B2B side, remember that the Connectivity segment maintained a robust adjusted EBITDA margin of 47.3% in Q2 2025.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Cost Structure

You're looking at the hard numbers that drive Ziff Davis, Inc.'s expenses as of the middle of 2025. It's all about the outlay required to keep the content engine running and the debt serviced. Here's the quick math on the major cost buckets based on the second quarter of 2025 results.

The primary operational costs for Ziff Davis, Inc. in the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, are detailed below, showing where the money went to generate the $352.2 million in total revenues for that period. The largest single expense category in the operating costs was Sales and Marketing.

Cost Component (Q2 2025, in thousands)	Amount
Sales and marketing	$141,598
Depreciation and amortization	$57,606
General, administrative, and other related costs	$54,070
Direct costs	$48,974
Research, development, and engineering	$16,478
Acquisition, integration, and other costs	$3,987

Content creation and editorial staff salaries are embedded within the $48,974 thousand in Direct costs and the $16,478 thousand in Research, development, and engineering for Q2 2025. Honestly, separating pure editorial salaries from the broader Direct Costs category isn't possible with the public filings.

Technology infrastructure and hosting costs are represented by several line items that cover both the physical and intellectual capital investment. These figures reflect the ongoing spend to support digital properties.

• Depreciation and amortization for Q2 2025 was $57,606 thousand.
• Research, development, and engineering expenses for Q2 2025 totaled $16,478 thousand.
• Total operating costs and expenses for Q2 2025 reached $318,726 thousand.

Sales and marketing expenses to drive traffic were substantial, hitting $141,598 thousand for the three months ended June 30, 2025. This was up from $124,766 thousand in the same period last year.

Acquisition-related costs and integration expenses show up in a specific line item, plus the actual cash deployment for M&A activity. You need to look at both the non-recurring costs and the capital outlay.

• Acquisition, integration, and other costs recognized in the income statement for Q2 2025 were $3,987 thousand.
• Cash deployed for current and prior year acquisitions during Q2 2025 was approximately $11.4 million.

Interest expense on gross debt is a key non-operating cost. Ziff Davis, Inc. reported a specific figure for this liability service in Q2 2025, which is tied to the overall leverage structure.

Financial Metric (As of Q2 2025)	Amount
Gross Debt	$872 million
Interest expense, net (Q2 2025)	$6,523 thousand
Gross Debt to TTM Adj. EBITDA Multiple	1.7x

The interest expense, net for the quarter was $6,523 thousand, compared to $1,804 thousand in Q2 2024. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) - Canvas Business Model: Revenue Streams

You're looking at the core ways Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) brings in cash as of late 2025. The business model relies heavily on a mix of advertising, recurring subscriptions, and transaction-based revenue across its diverse digital properties.

The company's overall financial health in mid-2025 showed strong momentum, with management reaffirming the full-year outlook based on solid quarterly results.

Here are the hard numbers we have for the primary revenue streams based on the Second Quarter 2025 results:

Revenue Stream Component	Q2 2025 Amount (Millions USD)	Year-over-Year Growth (Q2 2025)
Advertising and Performance Marketing revenue	$197 million	15.5%
Subscription and Licensing revenue	$149 million	5.0%
Total Q2 2025 Revenue	$352.2 million	9.8%

The full-year 2025 revenue guidance that Ziff Davis, Inc. reaffirmed projects total revenues between $1.442 billion and $1.502 billion.

For the specific components you asked about, the data is often nested within the broader segment reporting, but we can pull out related metrics:

• Affiliate and e-commerce revenue (RetailMeNot): While the specific dollar amount for RetailMeNot is not explicitly broken out in the top-line revenue figures, the company noted the deployment of AI chat at RetailMeNot as part of its strategic execution in Q2 2025.
• B2B software licensing fees (Ekahau, Spiceworks): These fees likely contribute to the Subscription and Licensing revenue line. A concrete metric related to the B2B software side is the Spiceworks paid subscription launch, which secured over 20,000+ paying business customers by the Q2 2025 earnings release.

To give you a better picture of where the revenue is coming from across the five reportable segments in Q2 2025, here's a look at the segment revenue:

Reportable Segment	Q2 2025 Revenue (Millions USD)	Q2 2025 Revenue Growth Y/Y
Health & Wellness	$99.5 million	15.7%
Technology & Shopping	$80.8 million	11.3%
Cybersecurity & Martech	$68.3 million	-0.9%
Connectivity	$57.4 million	14.2%
Gaming & Entertainment	$46.2 million	7.5%

Also, remember that 35% of Ziff Davis, Inc.'s total revenues are ads on its owned and operated web traffic, and about 40% of that specific portion comes from search.