Time and time again, struggling media companies succumb to another billionaire. It was only a matter of time before Vox Media met the same fate. Last week, New York magazine, including Grub Street, along with Vox.com and the Vox Media podcast networks were purchased by James Murdoch, the youngest son of Rupert Murdoch, for reportedly more than $300 million. Half of Vox Media now joins the Murdoch media empire, with the family collectively owning Fox Corporation, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and many other news outlets.
As for the fate of Eater, there are rumors that Capital One is considering buying the food media brand, according to Puck. If a deal were to go through, this would be an eerily familiar strategy to when the Infatuation was bought by JPMorgan Chase to expand the bank’s credit card perks, like extra points when spending at restaurants and exclusive reservations at major hot spots. Capital One and Eater have partnered on several sponsorships, including an ongoing dinner series as well as the launch of the Eater iOS app. When the restaurant discovery app was first released in October 2024, it gave Capital One customers access to exclusive restaurant reservations. For now, Eater — along with the Verge, SBNation, Punch, and Thrillist — will remain together to form a yet-to-be-named company while the Vox Media name will move along as subsidiary within Murdoch's Lupa Systems.