Penske Media Corp. has sold TVLine, the 15-year-old digital news platform focused on TV news, interviews and reviews, to digital media company Static Media.
Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. PMC, which is the parent company of Variety, launched TVLine in January 2011. Kimberly Roots will remain with TVLine as editor in chief after the transaction, as will the remaining staff. Matt Webb Mitovich, a TVLine veteran who most recently served as chief content officer, will step down. Mitovich had been with the site since its inception.
The site was founded by Michael Ausiello, formerly a columnist for Entertainment Weekly and a senior writer at TV Guide. Ausiello also will depart with the sale to Static Media. Since its inception, TVLine has pledged to offer “a singular, unwavering focus: to deliver a concentrated stream of breaking TV news, original previews and insightful recaps/reviews.” Roots joined TVLine in 2012 and rose through the ranks as a manager, writer and editor. She was upped to the EIC post in April 2024.
In a post Monday on Instagram, Ausiello wrote, “I loathe goodbyes, so let’s try this: Earlier this month, I said farewell to #TVLine, the site I founded nearly 15 years ago. TVLine is embarking on a new chapter, and so am I. … Though I am excited to begin my journey as a full-time creator and storyteller, I remain grateful to Jay Penske for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime in launching TVLine. To the site’s new owners: Please take care of the most talented, hardworking and kindest team in all of entertainment journalism. And when #Gilmore Girls is revived again, I implore you to give them the unlimited resources they will need to cover it.”
PMC earlier this year also sold BGR (aka Boy Genius Report), a tech and science publication it had acquired in 2010, to Static Media. PMC declined to comment.
Kimberly Roots
Samantha Okazaki / @samanthaokazaki
Static Media, based in Indianapolis, owns and operates more than two dozens brands, including SlashFilm, The List, Tasting Table, House Digest, MoneyDigest and Chowhound. It closed a deal to buy auto brand Jalopnik from G/O Media in early 2025. The company says it has an aggregate audience of more than 220 million monthly unique visitors.
In April 2023, Novacap, a Canadian private-equity firm, announced a major investment in Static Media, which it described as an acquisition by Novacap’s TMT VI fund. Previous investors in Static Media included billionaire Mark Cuban. Static Media was co-founded in 2012 by CEO Reggie Renner and chief technology officer Mike Langin.
In addition to Variety, PMC’s portfolio of brands includes Rolling Stone, Billboard, Dick Clark Productions, WWD, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, SHE Media, Robb Report, Sportico, ARTnews, Fairchild Media, Vibe, IndieWire, Artforum, Gold Derby and Luminate.