XLMedia completes 101GreatGoals buyout

Digital performance publisher, XLMedia, today announced it has completed a buyout of 101GreatGoals.com, a global football media publisher offering news content, live streaming of sport and betting tips for football fans.

The acquisition represents part of a broader push within the company towards running only high-quality, content-driven websites with high levels of user engagement.

The company adopted a new strategy in February, focusing on its popular tier 1 and tier 2 affiliates after a Google algorithm update saw 107 of its websites ‘demoted’ in SERP rankings.

Stuart Simms, chief executive officer of XLMedia, commented: “101GreatGoals.com has built a loyal and growing user base through engaging, up-to-date and highly informative content.  This provides a very solid foundation for extending the reach of this asset into additional markets.” 

“It is also indicative of the type of website that XLMedia will seek to develop as we execute on our strategy, based on a balanced portfolio of high-quality assets in attractive markets.”

In order to achieve its goals, XL will follow a transformation strategy in three parts; consolidation of its publishing assets into a core set of premium sites; investment in US sports and personal finance; and further investment in regulated markets.

The company has also undergone significant changes to its workforce, with new appointments to its executive team such as Ken Dorward as president, North America, and Sarah Clark as COO.

It is believed the company expects to save over $5m (£4.1m/€4.6m) on staffing costs as several roles and functions are “streamlined” across the business. It is not clear how many staff have yet been or will be laid off.