Shkulev Holding, Shkulev Holding

History

2024

Name change to Shkulyov Holding

In November 2024, Shkulev Media Holding informed TAdviser about the name change to Shkulev Holding (Shkulev Holding).

Inclusion in the holding of the service "Talk. Online"

Thanks to the launched PUSHKA acceleration program, Shkulyov Media Holding will include a service of psychological services Talodim.online. It will complement the portfolio along with thematic and expert sites in the fields of fashion, beauty, life style, psychology, medicine, city portals, magazines and other assets. Shkulev Media Holding announced this on April 18, 2024. Read more here.

2022

Name change to Shkulev Media Holding

In April 2022, it became known that Hearst Shkulev Media changed its name to Shkulev Media Holding.

Hearst exit from Hearst Shkulev Media

The American media conglomerate Hearst left Hearst Shkulev Media, Kommersant reported in March 2022, citing Women's Wear Daily. The share of Hearst was bought by Viktor Shkulev himself.^[1]

2020

Sale of the real estate search portal N1.ru the company "Cian.ru"

On December 23, 2020, the Cian.ru real estate search service in Russia announced the purchase of the company N1.ru. The seller in this transaction was HSD RN BV (part of Hearst Shkulev Group). Its participants did not disclose the financial component of the agreement. Read more here.

HeadHunter bought the Зарплата.ру service for 3.5 billion rubles

On November 24, 2020, HeadHunter announced the purchase of 100% of the Зарплата.ру service for 3.5 billion rubles. The deal has already been approved by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), it is planned to close it until January 2021. Read more here.

Shkulev Digital Regional Network - 43 sites

Shkulev Digital Regional Network is the country's largest online urban media network, uniting 43 sites as of August 2020, whose editorial offices are located in 17 cities. It includes the St. Petersburg "Фонтанка.ру" (Viktor Shkulev owned it without the participation of Hearst), the Yekaterinburg E1.ru, the Novosibirsk Ngs.ru, the Omsk Ngs55.ru, the Chelyabinsk 74.ru and other sites popular in the regions. All of them operate on a single technological platform and are combined into an advertising network. The daily audience of the network in August 2020 amounted to 1.5 million unique visitors.

Shkulev bought out Hearst's stake in the business of regional sites

In August 2020, it became known that the American Hearst Corporation left the Hearst Shkulev Media business, selling businessman Viktor Shkulev a stake in a network of 43 regional sites, including the Ural E1.ru and Novosibirsk Ngs.ru. The buyer explains this by commercial considerations, while experts do not exclude that it was not without a policy. The presence of an American shareholder raised questions when covering acute problems in the regions, and his departure can simplify the attraction of subsidies and advertising budgets of state corporations.

Shkulev did not disclose the amount of the transaction, while noting that he himself offered a ransom to his partner, and his own funds became the source of investment.

SPARK-Interfax data confirm the fact of the transaction: Mr. Shkulev, registered in February 2020, JSC SGP Holding, bought out shares in companies related to the network. The structure of the deal was complex. On July 30, SGP Holding acquired 99% of the Network of Urban Sites LLC and 1% of Internet Technologies LLC from the Dutch Hearst Shkulev Digital Regional Network, as well as 20% of Eichesdi Holding LLC from Ai-pi-ah Holdings East LLC (owned by the Dutch International Publications Holding).

Now the network of city portals operates under the Shkulev Media Holding brand without the Hearst prefix. According to Viktor Shkulev, Hearst has participated in the structures of the portal network since the start of the network in 2012. It also retains 20% of the Hearst Shkulev Media holding, which publishes Elle, Maxim, Marie Claire and other magazines in Russia. Hearst was originally its co-founder, and in 2015, after the entry into force of restrictions for foreign investors in the Russian media, Mr. Shkulev, who owned 50% of the business, received another 30%.

The deal with Hearst has been discussed between the parties for the past year, a Kommersant source in the media market knows^[2]. He claims that one of the reasons for the ransom was "numerous reproaches of financing the activities of city portals in Russia by the American side." This raised questions about the coverage of problems in the cities of the holding's presence, such as protests in the square of Yekaterinburg or an explosion in a residential building in Magnitogorsk, although Hearst had nothing to do with the activities of the portals, the source continues.

"There are no political reasons for the deal," insists Viktor Shkulev.

The head of the consulting group "Pirogov and Partners" Alexander Pirogov is sure that politics still played an important role in the deal. "City portals are one of the most visited in the regions, it is a good tool for influencing the coverage of events. It would be interesting for near-state structures to have a predictable partner who has nothing to do with American money, "he argues. The deal, according to the expert, will allow the project to earn more, and for state corporations it will simplify the adoption of decisions on the allocation of budgets to it to cover its activities in the city and region. In July, the Network of City Portals received for the first time a Rospechat subsidy of 27 million rubles.

2019: Financials

The financial indicators of the network were not disclosed, but, for example, the revenue of the Network of City Portals LLC included in it in 2019 amounted to 515 million rubles, a net loss of 1.4 million rubles, and similar indicators of the Network of City Sites LLC - 110 million rubles. and 12.5 million rubles. respectively (data "SPARK-Interfax").

2018: Record traffic due to World Cup in Russia

There were 15.2 million unique users on HSM sites in June 2018 (all resources of the city portal network are considered). This is 78% more than last year (hereinafter referred to as LiveInternet data).

Traffic quality deteriorated over the year - although Hearst Shkulev Digital set a record for views (119 million, + 28% year-on-year), the number of views per visitor decreased. In June 2018, it was 7.8, and a year earlier it was 9.3.

Hearst Shkulev Digital explains the record with publications dedicated to ChM-2018. City portals conducted streams from matches, prepared interviews with fans. A national online broadcast was conducted, published on all sites and collected simultaneously by all editions.

2016: Buying Woman.ru

On May 26, 2016, it became known that the co-owner of Hearst Shkulev Media Publishing House Viktor Shkulev closed the deal to buy one of the most popular women's sites in the country - Woman.ru - from Veronica and Boris Belotserkovsky. With an audience of 6 million Russians per month, this asset has become the most visited Internet resource in the structures of Hearst Shkulev Media. Market participants estimate its value at 300-500 million rubles.

The owner of 51% in the founder of the Woman.ru, Event-Media LLC, became AME LLC, 100% owned by Viktor Shkulev, follows from the data Kartoteka.ru. The remaining 49% is owned by his wife Tamara Shkuleva. Mr. Shkulev declined to comment. According to a source in Hearst Shkulev Media, the process of integrating Woman.ru into the structure of the publishing house is underway.

Woman.ru was founded in 1998, and since 2006 belonged to Veronika Belotserkovskaya and her partners. In addition to the forum, the site has an editorial section with texts and news on topics of beauty, fashion and relationships, photo galleries. In December 2015, the Woman.ru was offered to a number of investors and was valued by sellers in the amount of $4-5 million to $10 million. The top manager of a large media company estimates the revenue of the Woman.ru for 2015 at no more than 200 million rubles, and the cost of the entire site - according to the multiplier of 1.7-2.5 revenues. Thus, the asset can cost about 300-500 million rubles.

In December, Ms. Belotserkovskaya reduced her share to 51%, and Tamara Shkuleva acquired 33.58% of the company, the rest remained with Inessa Gaevskaya, publisher of the Top 50 publishing houses Veronika and Boris Belotserkovsky, which also include the magazine and the Dog website.

Woman.ru is one of the most popular women's sites in the country, its audience in April 2016 amounted to 5.96 million users (data from TNS Russia among Russians 12-64 years old). The total audience of all Hearst Shkulev Media Internet projects, taking into account Woman.ru, is 13.6 million, and this site has become the most popular among all Internet resources of the publishing house.

Unlike, for example, business media, women's sites practically do not sell the audience pointwise, but only in conjunction with the network, said Maxim Tadevosyan, First Deputy General Director of Rambler & Co.

"It is sold when there is a large capacity, since FMCG companies, the main advertisers of such sites work on the principle of buying an audience for a minimum cost, copying the television model in which high TV penetration provides coverage. This is the only model of Internet and TV competition in this segment of advertisers, "he explains. The recent partnership of Woman.ru with Lady Mail.Ru provides such coverage and "immediately allows us to talk about the total budget from advertisers," concludes Mr. Tadevosyan

. "Women

are more active consumers than men, they are interested in significantly more goods. If the site is organized around the forum, the visitor spends more time there and has more chances to see the banner, "adds^[3], Managing Director of OMD Resolution agency Vadim^[3]

.

According to the results of April 2016, the total audience of all Internet projects of Hearst Shkulev Media, taking into account Woman.ru, is 13.6 million, and this site has become the most popular among all Internet resources of the publishing house.

2015

Aktivs

Since August 2015, HSM has two head companies:

• Hirst Shkulev Publishing is responsible for the publication of magazines and the development of their Internet versions,
• Hirst Shkulev Digital Media - for the regional resources of the holding, which have media registration (sites of the NGS group and Nizhny Novgorod nn.ru).

It was announced that by the end of 2015, both companies would become founders of all media of the publishing house.

Print media

International Magazine Publishing Licenses:

• ELLE (+ www.elle.ru site),
• ELLE Girl,
• ELLE Decoration,
• ELLE-Ukraine,
• MAXIM (+ www.MAXIMonline.ru site),
• MAXIM-Ukraine,
• Marie Claire,
• "Happy Parents "/Parents,
• Psychologies,
• HOME,
• DEPARTURES,
• as well as the nationwide city TV guide "Antenna-Telesem," the network of free advertising newspapers "Va-bank," the specialized reference book "Va-bank Repair" and the star magazine StarHit.

Internet

As of July 2015, the Internet assets of the ID included:

116.ru, 14.ru, 154.ru, 161.ru, 164.ru, 178.ru, 2074.ru, 26.ru, 29.ru, 42.ru, 43.ru, 45.ru, 48.ru, 51.ru, 53.ru, 56.ru, 59.ru, 62.ru, 63.ru, 70.ru, 72.ru, 74.ru, 75.ru, 76.ru, 86.ru, 89.ru, 93.ru,

Antenna-telesem.ru, Arhangeljob.ru, Astrajob.ru, Autochel.ru, Barnaul-rabota.ru, Bel-rabota.ru, Bryansk-rabota.ru, Chel.ru, Cheldiplom.ru, Cheldoctor.ru, Chelfin.ru, Chelyabinsk.ru, Domchel.ru, Екатеринбургский E1.ru, Ekat.ru, Elle.ru, ElleGirl.ru, Gilcom.ru, Hearst-shkulev-media.ru, Irk-rabota.ru, Kem-rabota.ru, Krasnodar-rabota.ru, Kras-rabota.ru, Luber-rabota.ru, Magnitjob.ru, MarieClaire.ru, Maximonline.ru, Mgorsk.ru, Mychel.ru, Myt-rabota.ru,

N1.ru, Новосибирский Ngs.ru, Nk-rabota.ru, Nn.ru, Novorosjob.ru, Or-rabota.ru, Parents.ru, Podolsk-rabota.ru, Prm.ru, Proizhevsk.ru, Provoronezh.ru, Psychologies.ru, Rabota21.ru, Rabota27.ru, Rabota33.ru, Rabota39.ru, Rabota44.ru, Rabota48.ru, Rabota55.ru, Rabota69.ru, Rabota-v-moskve.ru, Rabota-v-pitere.ru, Rabota-v-sochi.ru, Rabota-v-stavropole.ru, Rabota-v-volgograde.ru, Rabota-v-voronezhe.ru, Сеть городских сайтов Rugion.ru, Rzn-rabota.ru, Samara24.ru, Smolensk-rabota.ru, Sochi1.ru, Sochi-express.ru, Starhit.ru, Surgut-rabota.ru, Telesem.ru, Tolyatty.ru, Ufa1.ru, Ufa-trud.ru, Ul-rabota.ru, V1.ru,

Internet portal for women Wday.ru,

Site Zarplata.ru

Buying a network of Rugion sites for 20 million euros

In June 2015, it became known that Hearst Shkulev Media (HSM) combined its regional Internet assets with the Rugion network of city sites, Viktor Shkulev, president of this publishing house, told Vedomosti. For this, HSM bought a controlling stake in Rugion LLC, the deal was closed, he said. The general director of the management company Rugion Yulia Shevchenko confirmed the information.

This is a money deal, the co-owners of Rugion received the agreed amount immediately, without additional conditions, says Shkulev. He refused to disclose the amount of the transaction. Shevchenko also did not comment on the terms of the deal. HSM paid up to 20 million euros for a controlling stake in Rugion, a source close to one of the parties to the transaction knows^[4].

A few years before that, Shkulev decided that city sites are one of the most promising media assets in Russia. The creation of a federal network of such sites provides very tempting coverage for advertisers, he explained. HSM acquired the first Internet projects in the regions in 2012, and a year later bought such large resources as Novosibirsk Ngs.ru and Yekaterinburg E1.ru, which became the core of the new network. Last year, the service was acquired Zarplata.ru. This network also includes Internet media from Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Tomsk, Barnaul, Irkutsk, Kemerovo and Sochi.

As of June 2015, the HSM regional network is the largest in terms of the number of visitors among city and regional sites in Russia (LiveInternet data). Combining with Rugion will increase the audience of urban sites in the HSM regional network by more than a third, says Shkulev. According to Google Analytics, which he cites, the monthly audience of all HSM Internet resources is about 31 million unique users, of which about 19 million are a regional network of sites (data for April 2015). For comparison: the monthly audience of Rambler & Co (including the Live Magazine) in April 2015, according to Google Analytics, amounted to 82 million unique users^[5].

In 1996, Rugion launched its first and still most popular 74.ru site for residents of Chelyabinsk. As of June 2015, the company operates 42 city sites and 48 regional work sites throughout Russia. According to SPARK-Interfax, Rugion LLC is owned by six people, including Shevchenko with a share of 1.92%.

According to Shkulev, in 2014, the total revenues of the regional network HSM and Rugion exceeded 1.5 billion rubles. The HSM network received most of the money not through online advertising, but thanks to services - for example, paid job search ads.

In 2015, 35% of HSM's revenues and 40% of HSM's profits will come from the Internet, Shkulev predicted in June 2015. This forecast takes into account the deal with Rugion, but not the deal with SIM, he said.

Shkulev receives 80% of HSM, Americans remain 20%

In August 2015, it became known that Hearst Shkulev Media (HSM) Publishing House brought the ownership structure in line with the legislation on limiting the share of foreigners in the media (no more than 20%), Vedomosti reports citing the president and co-owner of the company Viktor Shkulev. Previously, the company belonged equally to Russian and American owners, now Shkulev - 80%, the remaining - among the Americans.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, Shkulev clarified that the American partner no longer has the right to coordinate chief editors, influence editorial policy and interfere in the work of publications in another way.

One of the authors of the law on 20% of foreigners in the media, Deputy Dengin, claimed that HSM publications say what foreign owners tell them. In his opinion, the right key should be selected in the media.

HSM is the first major company to carry out a restructuring. The restrictions should come into force on January 1, 2016. Until February 1, 2017, there is time to bring the structure of companies in line with the law.

Now HSM has two head companies, Shkulev explained: Hirst Shkulev Publishing is responsible for publishing magazines and developing their Internet versions, Hirst Shkulev Digital Media is responsible for regional resources of the holding that have media registration (sites of the NGS group and Nizhny Novgorod nn.ru). It was announced that by the end of 2015, both companies would become founders of all media of the publishing house.

2014

Revenue - about 10 billion rubles

In 2014, according to, HSM brought Viktor Shkuleva Internet about a quarter of the revenue. He did not disclose specific figures. The revenue of this ID for 2014 amounted to about 10 billion rubles, says a person familiar with the financial results of HSM. Such a large share of income Internet from extremely uncharacteristic for the traditional media business Russia^[5] of^[5]

Purchase of the site Zarplata.ru

On September 30, 2014, it became known that Hearst Shkulev Media (HSM), one of the publishing houses, Russia is closing the deal to buy the Zarplata.ru website, Viktor Shkulev, co-owner of the holding, told Vedomosti. The seller of the asset is 100% of the shares of Зарплата.ру LLC - "" and PromSvyazKapital Dmitry. Alexey Ananyev This was confirmed by Maxim Melnikov (manages the media assets of Promsvyazkapital).

For HSM, this is the 14th site bought in the last two years. Prior to that, Shkulev studied opportunities for investment in Internet assets for a long time and eventually decided to develop a network of regional sites. The first Internet projects were acquired in 2012, and in 2013 HSM bought the Novosibirsk Ngs.ru and Yekaterinburg E1.ru, which became the core of the new network. Now the network also includes Internet media from Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Tomsk, Barnaul, Irkutsk, Kemerovo and Sochi. According to Shkulev, the monthly audience of these projects is about 12 million unique users (including Zarplata.ru).

Such an active purchase of regional sites attracted the attention of State Duma deputies during a recent discussion of amendments to limit the share of foreigners in the media to 20%. Deputy Vadim Dengin, one of the authors of the bill (later fully adopted by the Duma), pointed out that a foreign company operates in Russia, which buys regional sites and rural publications and newspapers in small towns, after which it begins to dictate "its own conditions" to them. The deputy did not disclose the name of the company. Obviously, he meant HSM, however, what rural newspapers the deputy meant remained incomprehensible. HSM is owned on a parity basis by Shkulev and American Hearst.

The parties refused to disclose the amount of the transaction and income Zarplata.ru. The audience of the site is 80,000-40,000 unique visitors per day, Shkulev specified, it is one of the five most visited Internet projects about working in the capital. The project was launched in the early 2000s. and in 2012 became part of the Media 3 holding, managing the media assets of the Promsvyazkapital group. Unlike HeadHunter.ru, the site Zarplata.ru specializes in posting vacancies and resumes of blue-collar workers, that is, non-leading workers, Melnikov says.

HSM already has regional sites of a similar theme - the Novokuznetsk portal job42.ru and Krasnodar krasnodar.join.ru. Shkulev expects to combine all these projects under a single brand "Salary," but it is stipulated that the process can take a long time.

The bulk of Zarplata.ru 's income is not received from advertising, but from placing ads, he points out:

"Other of

our regional sites have a similar revenue structure. Over the past year, we have been actively developing services for placing ads on our network. At the same time, advertising revenues increased, including the federal^[6]

.

Attempted to purchase part of the SIM magazine business

At the end of 2014, HSM agreed to buy part of the magazine business of the publishing house Sanoma Independent Media (SIM). As of June 2015, the deal has not yet been closed.

2013

The total circulation of Hearst Shkulev Media/InterMediaGroup publications is 12 million copies

As of December 2013, the total circulation of Hearst Shkulev Media/InterMediaGroup publications exceeds 12 million copies, the total audience is 21.6 million readers (data from TNS Russia). Publications of the group of companies are read by every third resident of Russia.

The Publishing House has 49 regional offices in Russia and the CIS countries (including all the largest regional and regional centers of federal districts).

Failed purchase of 100% of Sanoma's Russian business

In December 2013, it was reported that Sanoma had agreed to sell a 100% stake in its Russian division Sanoma Independent Media (SIM), which publishes the Vedomosti newspaper, Cosmopolitan magazine and other media. The buyer will be the American Hearst Corporation, which 50% owns the Hearst Shkulev Media publishing house . About this "Gazeta.Ru" said a source close to the top management of SIM. Another source familiar with Sanoma's plans confirmed the information. The companies plan to announce the deal in a few days, the source said. Later, information about the deal was not confirmed.

It was reported that as part of the transaction, shares in all assets of the Russian media holding SIM will be sold, in particular shares in Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar magazines. They are published by the Fashion Press publishing house, which, in turn, owns 50% of SIM, and 50% of Hearst Corporation. The United Press division will also be sold (published by Men's Health, Woman's Health, National Geographic, etc.). Together with the Italian company Mondadori SIM also publishes Grazia magazine.

The information that, as part of the transaction, Hearst Corporation and the SIM share in the Vedomosti newspaper will pass into the possession of Hearst Corporation was not confirmed either. It is published by CJSC Business News Media, which owns a 33% stake in SIM, Dow Jones and the Financial Times Group.

Subsequently, the share in the business newspaper Vedomosti may be resold to new owners, the source said. On December 5, 2013, SIM representatives flew to London to meet with the FT leadership, where the future fate of the newspaper will be discussed, a source close to SIM said.

The scheme according to which Hearst will manage Russian units is not yet clear. It was suggested that the company could transfer Russian assets to Shkulev's trust, a source in the media market said. Or he will sell him shares in a number of publications, for example, a share in Fashion Press, and allocate the rest as a separate asset, he argues. At the same time, another interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru, familiar with the situation at Hearst Shkulev Media, did not confirm the fact of the deal.

For Hearst, an increase in the share in the Russian market would correspond to the global trend: it buys assets in many countries, consolidating assets. The sale of Russian magazines SIM and Hearst Shkulev Media will have a positive effect on the business of Russian magazines. The purchase would allow the corporation to become the largest "glossy" media holding in Russia.

2012: Launch of regional media network

Observers assumed that in 2012 Victor Shkulyov , on the instructions and with the personal, including financial, participation of the first deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin , he actively created the Regional Network. Regional editions were created in 15 cities (more). here Allegedly, Shkulyov's network was created as an alternative, Kovalchukam which financed Prigozhin publications and projects "" since 2012, and News Media also carried out the purchase of media through. Grigory Berezkin

2011: Hearst Corporation buys 50% in the company

June 3, 2011 Hearst Corporation completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in Hachette Filipacchi Shkulev/InterMediaGroup in Russia as part of the overall acquisition of Lagardère 's international magazine business.

Commenting on the finalization, Duncan Edwards, President and CEO of Hearst Magazines International said: "We are pleased to have completed the deal in Russia and to have partnered with Viktor Shkulev in a company that has an exceptional market position. We look forward to starting working with Victor and his management team and are optimistic about the future.'

Viktor Shkulev added, "We are pleased with our partnership with Hearst, which is one of the most respected media companies in the world. Hearst Corporation has the highest standards of editorial quality and in fact proves that it firmly believes in the bright future of the magazine business both in Russia and in world markets. "

As a result of the transaction, the procedure for changing the name of Hachette Filipacchi Shkulev/InterMediaGroup to Hearst Shkulev Media/InterMediaGroup has begun.

As of June 2011, the total circulation of Hachette Filipacchi Shkulev and InterMediaGroup exceeds 12 million copies, the total audience is 21.6 million people. (data from TNS Russia). Publications of the group of companies are read by every 7th resident of Russia.

See also

• Media in Russia

Notes