Times Internet to manage desi versions of Gawker's tech properties Gizmodo and Lifehacker

Times Internet Ltd (TIL), the digital arm of the Times of India group, has announced its partnership with Gawker Media, a US-based media company that owns and operates eight content portals. The company's media portals include Gawker.com, Deadspin, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, io9, Kotaku, Jalopnik and Jezebel. According to the agreement, Times Internet will manage and drive the Indian destinations for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com, Gawker Media's technology sites.

Gizmodo.com focuses on gadgets and tech culture, and claims to be registering 9 million unique visitors and 100 million page views every month, as per the official release. On the other hand, Lifehacker.com is a weblog with posts on subjects like technology, personal productivity, software, tips, and technology lifestyle.

As part of the collaboration, Times Internet will have exclusive rights to the brand, monetisation, content, syndication and sub-licensing of Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com within India. The partnership will help TIL grow its consumer base by leveraging the growing popularity of consumer electronics and technology-related content.

Commenting on the partnership, TIL CEO Satyan Gajwani told Techcircle.in Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com would redirect to Indian destinations of Gizmodo and Lifehacker. "We will add original, locally relevant content with the editorial flavour and style of the global sites. We will use our group's resources to grow the brands and expose the content to a larger Indian audience," he added.

Asked why TIL opted for technology-related portals, he stated, "Technology is getting increasingly important as we interact with it more and more every day. We see that as a huge consumer segment on our properties today. As a result, it is extremely relevant for our audience and it is also relevant for the advertisers in that segment who want to connect with that audience. Since most of the important technology news comes from the US, partnering with a company, which is a leader in that segment, makes sense for us."

Gawker Media was founded in 2002 by Nick Denton. On this new development, Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker Media, said, "With an international presence in eight countries outside the USA, India has long been a natural next step for our global expansion and TIL is a natural fit for Gizmodo and Lifehacker. We are very excited to be partnering with them to bring our technology content to India and we look forward to seeing the brands develop for this new audience."

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)