Static Media Explained

Static Media
Type:Private
Industry:Internet
Location City:Indianapolis
Location Country:United States
Products:Contextual advertising

Static Media Inc., the business name of 7Hops.com Inc.,[1] is an American internet company established in 2012, incorporated in Delaware, and based in Indianapolis. It operates ZergNet, a content recommendation business that promotes paid content and is known for its clickbait headlines.[2] [3] Most sites that the company owns use the same website model and design, sometimes dubbed "infinite scroll", whereby content is loaded continuously as the user scrolls down.[4] For example, scrolling down on the homepage loads more articles in perpetuity (until the user reaches the very first article written for the site). Scrolling down on individual articles also does not reach the page footer, instead loading a different, related article, so the user can continue reading content from the site indefinitely without needing to click a new link. This is also called "infinite-content pages" or "endless pages". The title of one of the brands, Looper, refers to this design.

ZergNet

Established around 2011,[5] ZergNet's business model, being paid to place links, many of which use clickbait headlines, in third-party online articles at the bottom of ZergNet pages, has been compared to the business model of Outbrain, Taboola, and others.[6] [7]

The company's investors include Mark Cuban and Greycroft Partners.[8]

Owned or associated websites

Static Media owns and promotes the following entertainment websites:[9]

Company history

Looper was the first site acquired by Static Media, in 2015.[10] Mashed, Nicki Swift, Grunge, and the List are original Static Media brands, and all four launched in 2016.[11] [12] [13] [14] The next site Static Media added was SVG, an original brand, in 2017.[15]

SlashGear was launched in 2005 and was acquired by Static Media sometime after the company's debut, in 2015.[16]

Health Digest is a Static Media original site, and it debuted in the third quarter of 2020.[17] Alongside general health reporting, many of the brand's early articles covered the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tasting Table was launched in 2008 and was acquired by Static Media in 2021, the same year as /Film, which began in 2005.[18] [19] House Digest is one of the site's newer homegrown brands, launching as a Static original site in 2021.[20]

Wrestling Inc. is the second-oldest of Static Media's branded sites, founded in 1996. Wrestling Inc. and Glam, the latter of which was started in 2003, were both acquired in 2022.[21] [22] The Daily Meal launched in 2011 and was acquired by Static in 2022.[23]

Explore, a travel-focused brand, launched as a Static Media original site in November 2022.[24]

Women.com is the oldest brand that Static Media owns, having been founded in 1995, but it wasn't acquired by Static until early 2023.[25] Also acquired in 2023 is Food Republic, founded in 2010 but launched in 2011.[26]

In September 2023, Static Media launched another food site, Foodie, bringing its total food brands to four.[27]

On October 3, 2023, Static Media launched its first financial journalism site, Money Digest.[28] [29]

On October 26, 2023, the company launched its second homegrown travel and outdoors brand, titled Outdoor Guide and focused on outdoor living, including camping, gear, travel, and wildlife.[30] [31] The company followed this several days later with the relaunch of Chowhound, in early November 2023; the site was originally founded in 1997 and had been shut down in 2022.[32]

In early 2024, the company launched its third travel and outdoor brand, titled Islands and more focused on exotic destinations, cruises, and travel than Outdoor Guide. The print publication of Islands had been around since 1981, owned by Bonnier LLC alongside Outdoor Life, Popular Science, Marlin, and Salt Water Sportsman. The website was originally launched in 2000. Though the print publication shuttered in 2014 and the publication shifted exclusively to digital, the site continued operating through the pandemic, growing to include its own Islands-brand "All-Inclusive Awards"[33] for resorts. These annual awards ran in 2019 and 2020 and recognized resorts that had the best food, bar, rooms, pool, overwater bungalow, spa, butler service, and amenities, among other categories. The award system was not brought back in 2021, and it has not returned to the brand under Static Media's purview, either. Editor Allaya Cooks-Campbell, who previously worked at Health Digest, was appointed lead editor of Islands and Explore in 2023 and led Islands through its acquisition and relaunch under Static ownership.[34]

In 2024, Static Media acquired its sixth food brand, The Takeout, which originally launched in 2016.[35] Later that year, the company acquired Jalopnik, an automotive blog that was a sister site to the Takeout.[36]

In October 2024, Static Media announced it had acquired Hunker from Graham Holdings. The brand has a focus on cleaning, home improvement, garden, and lifestyle reporting.[37] The same month, Static launched Cuteness, a website geared toward pet owners, which it had also purchased that year.[38]

On November 3, 2024, the company officially launched Sciencing, its first site oriented around science, math, and technology, which had been operating since 2006.[39]

In 2025, the company acquired BGR and TVLine from Penske Media Corporation.[40] [41] It also acquired Garden Guides, a gardening news and tips site originally launched in 1998,[42] and PlanetWare, a travel news site originally launched in 1995.[43]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Policies . /Film . July 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230711225103/https://www.grunge.com/policies/ . July 11, 2023 . July 11, 2023 . . [note that the Static Media slate of websites changed, sometime between 11 July 2023's "... owned and operated by 7Hops.com Inc. (dba Static Media), a Delaware corporation" and 15 July 2023's (web.archive.org/web/20230715071117/https://www.healthdigest.com/policies/) "owned and operated by Static Media Inc., a Delaware corporation"].
  2. News: Chapman . Lizette . ZergNet Scores $3.2 Million to Build 'Pinterest for Content' . . November 5, 2014 . subscription . November 12, 2024.
  3. Ben . Fischer . Greycroft Partners places bet on ZergNet, a content recommendation firm that's not in advertising . . November 6, 2014 . subscription . November 12, 2024.
  4. Web site: Tim . Neusesser . Infinite Scrolling: When to Use It, When to Avoid It . . September 4, 2022 . August 9, 2024.
  5. News: Jeff . Swiatek . Hoosier cooks up Internet hit, with help of Mark Cuban . . September 21, 2014 . September 18, 2014 . subscription . November 12, 2024.
  6. Web site: Wright . Mic . How two gamers built a secret weapon to get huge Web traffic . . June 24, 2015 . November 12, 2024.
  7. Web site: November 11, 2014 . Carmel click-bait giant ZergNet nabs $3.2M in private equity . August 26, 2025 . Indianapolis Business Journal.
  8. stigner . Q&A: Mark Cuban Talks Indy Startup ZergNet . . October 2013 . November 12, 2024.
  9. Web site: Static Media. static.com. Static Media.
  10. Web site: About Looper . Looper . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  11. Web site: About Mashed . Mashed . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  12. Web site: About Nicki Swift . Nicki Swift . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  13. Web site: About Grunge . Grunge . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  14. Web site: About The List . The List . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  15. Web site: About SVG . SVG . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  16. Web site: About SlashGear . SlashGear . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  17. Web site: About Health Digest . Health Digest . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  18. Web site: About Tasting Table . Tasting Table . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  19. Web site: About Us – /Film . Slash Film . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  20. Web site: About House Digest . House Digest . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  21. Web site: About Us – Wrestling Inc. . Wrestling Inc. . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  22. Web site: About Glam . Glam . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  23. Web site: About The Daily Meal . The Daily Meal . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  24. Web site: About Explore . Explore . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  25. Web site: About Women . Women.com . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  26. Web site: About Food Republic . Food Republic . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . July 21, 2023.
  27. Web site: About Foodie . Foodie . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . September 8, 2023.
  28. Web site: Ngo . Hope . How to Know If You're Part of a Pyramid Scheme . Money Digest . Static Media . October 18, 2023 . October 3, 2023.
  29. Web site: About Money Digest . Money Digest . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . October 18, 2023.
  30. Web site: Chandler . Nancy . The Most Dangerous Time of Year to Swim in the Atlantic Ocean . Outdoor Guide . October 26, 2023 . Static Media . November 10, 2023.
  31. Web site: About Outdoor Guide . Outdoor Guide . April 7, 2016 . Static Media . November 10, 2023.
  32. Static Media Revives Chowhound, Launches Three Additional Brands in Q4 – Foodie, Money Digest, and Outdoor Guide . Static Media Inc. . November 13, 2023 . November 12, 2024 . PR Newswire.
  33. Web site: Islands All-Inclusive Awards . Islands . February 20, 2024.
  34. Web site: Allaya Cooks-Campbell . LinkedIn . LinkedIn Corporation . August 12, 2024.
  35. Web site: About The Takeout . The Takeout . April 7, 2016 . August 9, 2024.
  36. News: Flynn . Kerry . G/O Media agrees to sell car culture site Jalopnik . October 29, 2024 . Axios . October 21, 2024.
  37. Web site: October 3, 2024 . Static Media Enhances Portfolio with Key Acquisitions in Home, Pet Care, and Science . July 9, 2025 . PR Newswire.
  38. Web site: About Us – Cuteness . Cuteness . Static Media . November 10, 2024.
  39. Web site: Roberts . Joe . The Real-Life Tomb Discovered Under an Indiana Jones Filming Location . Sciencing . Static Media . November 10, 2024 . November 3, 2024.
  40. Web site: Spangler . Todd . August 25, 2025 . TVLine Acquired by Static Media . August 25, 2025 . Variety.
  41. Web site: About BGR . August 28, 2025 . BGR.
  42. Web site: About Garden Guides . Garden Guides . February 4, 2026.
  43. Web site: About PlanetWare . PlanetWare . February 4, 2026.

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