Red Ventures gobbles up another familiar brand name. This time it’s travel related.

Catherine Muccigrosso
·1 min read

Red Ventures marketing and technology company announced Tuesday it has acquired the popular travel media company Lonely Planet.

The Indian Land, S.C.-based company would not disclose the purchase price or terms of the deal for the travel guidebook brand from NC2 Media, based in Franklin, Tenn. Officials with NC2 Media could not immediately be reached for comment.

The deal marks the latest acquisition of a well-known brand by Red Ventures.

In October, the company bought digital media company CNET Media Group for $500 million from ViacomCBS, the Observer previously reported. CNET Media Group includes websites like CNET, Gamespot, Metacritic and TVGuide.com.

Red Ventures owns digital brands focused on travel, health, finance, consumer technology, gaming and other areas.

Red Ventures plans to expand Lonely Planet’s digital presence helping travelers research and book trips, while also publishing the brand’s iconic guidebooks in 14 languages.

Lonely Planet has produced over 150 million travel guidebooks since 1973, reaches 186 million people annually and covers 22,000 destinations around the world, according to Red Ventures.

The headquarters of Red Ventures in Indian Land, S.C. The marketing and technology company has purchased Lonely Planet travel guidebook publisher for an undisclosed amount.
The headquarters of Red Ventures in Indian Land, S.C. The marketing and technology company has purchased Lonely Planet travel guidebook publisher for an undisclosed amount.

“While the travel industry is experiencing an unprecedented downturn, we believe it will come back stronger than ever,” said Red Ventures co-founder and CEO Ric Elias, in explaining why the company was interested in Lonely Planet.

The Lonely Planet employees who will join Red Ventures will help expand the company’s footprint to include Tennessee, Ireland, China and India.

Red Ventures was founded 20 years ago and employs more than 3,500 people, including about 1,800 in the Charlotte area. The company owns several digital brands including Healthline Media, The Points Guy, Bankrate and Allconnect.com.