<span style="color: #a1a1a1;">Today’s topsy-turvy media landscape just got a bit topsier and turvier with Pocket Outdoor Media’s (POM) end-of-June acquisition of the Healthy Living, Fitness, and Outdoor divisions of Active Interest Media (AIM).

Included in the acquisition are AIM titles Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER, Warren Miller Entertainment, Oxygen, IDEA Health and Fitness Association, Clean Eating, Vegetarian Times, Better Nutrition, NatuRx, Muscle & Performance, Nastar, Fly Fishing Film Tour, National Park Trips, and SNEWS. The AIM brands will join POM’s existing stable of endurance sports brands including VeloNews, Women’s Running, Triathlete, PodiumRunner, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloPress, VeloSwap, and cycling event production company Roll Massif. Both companies are based in Boulder, CO.

The acquisition coincides with the closing of POM’s Series A investment from JAZZ Venture Partners, a global investment firm based in San Francisco, with participation from NEXT VENTURES and Zone 5 Ventures.

The acquisition diversifies POM’s media platform and will allow the company to better serve active lifestyle enthusiasts and their media partners. The expanded business will continue to focus on delivering content and experiences across a wide range of activities.

“The strength of these collective brands positions us to build the premier active lifestyle media destination to meet the needs and interest of our readers on a daily basis, whether they’re beginners or experts—looking for a training plan, healthy recipe, event coverage, nutrition advice, injury prevention and more,” said POM CEO Robin Thurston, whose company also has offices in San Diego and Toronto. “Our mission is to inspire people to do the activities they love—yoga, ride, cook, ski, run, swim, hike, climb—with greater enjoyment and knowledge.”

<span style="color: #a1a1a1;">In today’s evolving media landscape, POM plans to become a hub for active lifestyle enthusiasts looking to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. The company recently launched the first phase of its Active Pass membership program, whose perks include a wide range of content, VeloPress books, magazine subscriptions, Roll Massif event access, training plans, and more.

“The synergies of these iconic brands, some of which have been around for over 50 years, uniquely enables Pocket Outdoor Media to deliver an integrated experience never seen before,” said John Spinale, managing partner at JAZZ Venture Partners. “They’ve already developed a personalized newsfeed and membership experience that allows readers to access content across the POM brands, and it will only be bolstered as they add the AIM businesses to the experience.”

When reached by SGB Executive, AIM CEO Andy Clurman said that the sale represents less than a third of the company based on total revenue and that AIM will continue to operate and grow its other holdings. “We’ll continue to innovate and grow our equine, maritime and home divisions,” he said.

It was the synergies that POM brings to the table that cinched the deal.

“After getting to know Robin and the Pocket Outdoor Media team, it was clear that we share a great commitment to the communities we serve in Outdoor, Fitness and Wellness,” Clurman said. “Our alignment around our shared values, strategy and Boulder location made this a natural fit for our people and brands. Pocket’s new technology platform unifies, personalizes and syndicates the best content around the customer journey. Combining their platform with their membership strategy felt like a home run for the brands and team members of AIM’s Outdoor, Fitness, and Active Lifestyle divisions.”

Photo courtesy Pocket Outdoor Media