Shaping the Future of Regional Media: How Scaleup supported North East Times in Their Recent Acquisition of Bdaily

In a transformative step towards expanding their audience reach, North East Times (NET) Magazine have recently acquired Bdaily. We spoke with Pete Mallon, Managing Director at NET, to find out more about the vision behind this acquisition, the support they received from Scale Up North East, and their plans for the future. 

“A recurring theme in our conversations was the opportunity for a national news platform with a regional lense” Pete said, when we asked him about the thought process behind acquiring Bdaily. “We were focused on digital strategy, and the opportunity to acquire Bdaily was a perfect next step for us to strengthen our portfolio and raise the benchmark for regional media.”

“The support of the ScaleUp Programme has been vast in providing an additional perspective when making this decision.” Pete commented, “The partners have an incredible knowledge of the B2B marketplace and regional media, so have supported us to weigh up the potential impact of the acquisition.”

“Their expertise on buying and selling businesses and their practical viewpoint was integral for this.”

Support provided by the ScaleUp Programme had “A significant impact” Pete said, having experienced first hand the support from ScaleUp partners Craig and Tony - “Hearing about their ups and downs was useful, and something I will always be grateful for”

 “I could always look to them for guidance, nothing was too big or small to go to them with. It was so helpful, especially knowing they have experienced all of the same highs and lows that we were going through throughout the acquisition process.”

Talking about the ever-evolving media landscape and the constant need to shift to survive in a world where short-form content is becoming more and more popular each day, Pete went on “We are a fan of the phrase ‘the only constant is change’, and nothing is more fitting in this industry. Where the magazine has long-established values of a slower read – long-form content, perfectly crafted visual, and a presence which has integrity, weight, and longevity – Bdaily can step up to the plate for reactive, topical, short-reads, which keep our readers in the loop daily.”  

North East Times now houses two unique brands, which brings huge benefits for organisations, as they can support the fast-paced nature of digital media, alongside their mission to be more mindful, considered and reflective in print.

Discussing building upon what they have built so far and pushing forward to evolve, Pete talked about their ever growing network, in the North East and beyond, “One thing I would like to focus on is building our flourishing community. Going back to day one, our mission was always to support the people and businesses doing incredible things in the region – an ambition which remains the same: to tell the stories of people making impact.”

Bdaily has great roots within the North East, Yorkshire and London, and NET are now looking to re-establish the platform and those connections, with an exciting strategy to grow further and become a truly national network, something which will benefit businesses across the UK.

“The ScaleUp partners have been an incredible source of guidance, inspiration, and expertise whilst working with the team as part of the programme. They have brought fresh perspective – and often a dose of pragmatism – which can be invaluable when making decisions which have the potential to reroute your business journey. I would hugely recommend working with the partners if you are looking to embark on a new growth opportunity.” Pete explained in conclusion.

Scaleup Partner, Tony Brooks commented “Craig and I have both bought and successfully sold a number of businesses so were able to support Pete and the team on a strategic level as well as providing practical and pragmatic guidance, more holistically. This can be incredibly useful and prevent losing sight of the prize whilst getting bogged down in too much detail. This acquisition was clearly a fantastic opportunity for all parties and we look forward to seeing the future success of NET and Bdaily.”

With their ambitious vision and growing network, that future looks bright for NET and Bdaily. We’re excited to support them as they continue to shape the future of regional and national media.