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| Founded | 2012 |
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| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | valnetinc.com |
Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in Montreal, Quebec, in 2012. [1] It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry. [2] It is the parent company of several internet media publications including TheGamer, Collider, Comic Book Resources , MovieWeb, Screen Rant , Game Rant, and XDA Developers.
The company started a YouTube channel in January 2016 called "Little Angel", which provides animated content aimed at toddlers. [3] By April 6, 2016, the company acquired Comic Book Resources , with Valnet CEO Hassan Youssef retaining the editorial team and taking over their offices. [4] On November 17, 2020, Valnet announced that it had acquired Collider. [5] Valnet acquired XDA along with four other websites—Pocketnow, AppAdvice, BackyardBoss and Hook&Bullet—from Busy Pixel Media in February 2022. [6] Also that month, the company sold Little Angel to Moonbug, the owner of Cocomelon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. [7]
In May 2023, it was reported that Valnet had laid off several key figures at subsidiary Comic Book Resources (CBR), including editor-in-chief Adam Swiderski, senior new editor Stephen Gerding, and senior features editor Christopher Baggett. [8] In June, it was reported that CBR's employees had been finding difficulty in keeping up with Valnet's content demand. The company was reportedly "seemingly firing those who try and stand up for writers" in its bid to attempt to improve its work culture and performance. [9] Many fired staff vocalized discontent for these firings on Twitter, due to what was allegedly the full shutdown of the website news section, which the company refuted. [10]
Valnet acquired OpenCritic by August 2024 in an attempt to integrate the aggregator into its other businesses in the gaming sector. It announced plans to turn the site into a social media platform. [11] [12]
Collider is an online entertainment publication, with a focus on the film industry and television series. Collider focuses on entertainment news, analysis, and commentary, along with original features, complementary film and television reviews, editorials, and interviews.
Collider was founded in 2005 by editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub as a blog. In 2015, Weintraub sold Collider to Complex Media, who would manage the business and advertisements on the website and offer editing support. [13] On November 17, 2020, Valnet announced that it had acquired Collider. [5]
CBR, formerly Comic Book Resources , is a news website covering movies, television, anime, video games and comic book–related news and discussion.
Comic Book Resources (CBR) was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland created to discuss DC Comics' then-new mini-series of the same name. [14] [15]
CBR has featured columns by industry professionals such as Robert Kirkman, Gail Simone, and Mark Millar. [14] Other columns were published by comic book historians and critics such as George Khoury and Timothy Callahan. [16] [17]
By April 4, 2016, CBR was sold to Valnet, [18] [19] after which the site was relaunched as CBR.com on August 23, 2016, with the blogs integrated into the site. [20] [21] Popverse reported that following the acquisition by Valnet "comics were increasingly sidelined for coverage [...], as were both reviews and columns as focuses for publishing; instead, the site refocused on shorter news pieces and reactions to news stories". [21] Valnet Inc. is a subsidiary of Valsef Group, which is also headquartered in Montreal. [22]
MovieWeb is an entertainment news website and video brand that reports on entertainment news through its website. The site also maintains a searchable database of films. [23] [24] [25]
MovieWeb first launched in 1995; by 1997 it was reported to be in operation supported by a 4-person team publishing movie information that, while not 'slick', had a 'certain charm'. [26] [27] [ self-published source? ][ unreliable source ] [28] In 2012, MovieWeb produced a video which was an '80s-themed parody mashup of The Walking Dead series accompanied by music from Growing Pains that went viral. [29] [30]
Previously, MovieWeb was owned by WatchR Media, Inc., a privately held Las Vegas company. [31] [ self-published source? ][ unreliable source ] In 2021, it was estimated the MovieWeb website had 8 million unique visits for the month of July. MovieWeb has been owned and operated by online publisher Valnet Inc. since September 2021 upon completion of the acquisition from WatchR. [32] [ unreliable source ]
In August 2000, MovieWeb announced a collaboration with video rental chain Video Update and video retail software provider Unique Business Systems Inc. [33] [ unreliable source ]
MovieWeb acts as a distribution partner of Hulu.[ clarification needed ] [34] MovieWeb also produces video content for IMDb.com. [35] [ unreliable source ]
Screen Rant is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, Video games, and film theories. It was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, [36] and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. [37] [38] Screen Rant has expanded its coverage with red-carpet events in Los Angeles, New York Film Festivals and San Diego Comic-Con panels. [39] [40] The associated YouTube channel was created on August 19, 2008, and has 8.62M subscribers and 5.4K videos as of June 21, 2023. [41]
In February 2015, Screen Rant was acquired by Valnet, [42] [43] and was reunited with its sister site, Game Rant, in 2019, when Valnet acquired the other publication. [44] Screen Rant features a video series called Pitch Meetings by YouTube comedian Ryan George. By September 2020, the series included over 200 videos, garnering a combined 250 million views. In the series, George plays both a screenwriter and a film producer in a pitch for a film or television series, describing its plot in a way that highlights various inconsistencies. [45]
XDA (formerly known as XDA Developers) is a mobile software development community launched on December 20, 2002. [46] [47] Although discussion primarily revolves around the Android operating system, members also talk about other operating systems and mobile software development topics.
XDA-Developers.com was created by Dutch company NAH6 Crypto Products BV and launched on December 20, 2002. In January 2011, XDA Developers was bought by the US based company JB Online Media, LLC. and subsequently by Canada based Valnet Inc. in February 2022. The name XDA Developers is originally derived from the O2 XDA, which was marketed as a personal digital assistant (PDA) with extra features. [47] [48]
In 2013, XDA partnered with Swappa to become its official marketplace where users can buy or sell devices. [49]
Valnet acquired XDA along with four other websites—Pocketnow, AppAdvice, BackyardBoss and Hook&Bullet—from Busy Pixel Media in February 2022. In 2023, FeedSpot listed XDA (with 11 million members) as the largest mobile software development forum and among the top 70 technology forums to follow. [50]
Many software and hardware hacks, Android rooting methods, Android custom ROMs and other phone- and tablet-specific tweaks originate from the members of the XDA Forum. XDA also hosts the XDA Portal, a source for tech news, products, guides, and features which launched in 2010. [51]
Their forum site underwent major redesigns in 2010, 2013, late 2014 (named XDA 2015) and late 2020 (named XDA 2021). The 2013 layout distinctively indicated the number of active and total registered users at the top right, and the 2015 layout supported responsive web design and was available with a dark-on-light color scheme option.
As of 2020, the website features 3 themes, namely XDA, XDA Dark and XDA Classic. The older layout options for XDA 2013 and XDA 2015 were removed in XDA 2021. The website transitioned from vBulletin to XenForo on December 1, 2020, along with a major layout redesign, named XDA 2021. [52]
In February 2007, when the Microsoft Windows Mobile OS was widely used on mobile phones, Microsoft asked XDA Developers to remove all ROMs created by OEMs. [53] [54]
In 2008, CNET Asia suggested that XDA Developers offers potential solutions to problems with many Android-based mobile devices. In other mobile phone reviews, testers at CNET preferred using XDA Developers' ROMs when carrying out detailed reviews. [55]
Death is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Captain Marvel #26. Death is based on the personification of death. She is a nigh-omnipotent cosmic entity and a fundamental constant of mortal existence, depicted as the "sister" and antithetical force to Eternity.
Shuma-Gorath is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, the character first appeared in Marvel Premiere #10. Shuma-Gorath belongs to the Great Old Ones, a race of ancient eldritch beings who predate Earth. It is a recurring antagonist of the superhero Doctor Strange.
Jack Lawrence is a British comics creator. Prior to 2002 he also worked as an animator.
CBR, formerly Comic Book Resources, is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Screenrant, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers.
The Quinjet is a fictional jet aircraft appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the aircraft first appeared in The Avengers #61.
Screen Rant is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers.
The Boys is an American satirical superhero television series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat superpowered individuals who abuse their powers for personal gain and work for a powerful company that ensures the general public views them as heroes. The series features an ensemble cast that includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Elisabeth Shue, Colby Minifie, Aya Cash, Claudia Doumit, Jensen Ackles, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Marvel Rising is an American media franchise and shared universe produced by Marvel Animation. The animated media are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The franchise includes a made-for-television film, television specials, short films, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the Secret Warriors, a diverse team of teenage superheroes, as they join forces together.
The 2017 film Justice League had a troubled production history, undergoing major changes before and during production, including a change in directors. This resulted in the theatrical release being markedly different from its conception in pre-production and principal photography.
Marvel Future Avengers is a Japanese superhero anime television series produced by Madhouse and Walt Disney Japan, based on the Marvel Comics universe. The first season began airing on the Dlife satellite channel in July 2017 and ran for 26 episodes, followed by a 13 episode second season in 2018. The series was released internationally through Disney+ in February 2020.
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star is a novel written by Claudia Gray and is the final adult novel in the Star Wars: The High Republic franchise's first phase, Light of the Jedi. It is a direct sequel to Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm taking place 200 years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. It follows the continued conflict between the Jedi Order and the Nihil.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an upcoming action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega. The sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), it is directed by Jeff Fowler from a screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Idris Elba reprise their roles, with Krysten Ritter and Keanu Reeves joining the cast. In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog.
Kronos is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Iron Man #55. Kronos is a cosmic being who is the embodiment of time. He is the brother of Uranos. He is also the grandfather of the supervillain Thanos.
Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, known simply as One-of-a-Kind Marcie, is a 2023 Peanuts animated TV special directed by Raymond S. Persi, written by Betsy Walters, and starring Arianna McDonald, Lexi Perri, and Etienne Kellici. It is the first Peanuts special to center around the character Marcie. The special follows Marcie being unexpectedly elected class president, and her struggle with being thrust into the spotlight and coping with the expectations of her new position. The special was released on Apple TV+ on August 18, 2023 to unanimous critical acclaim, and won the Award for Best Animated Special Production at the 51st Annie Awards.
