Media24 CEO, Esmaré Weideman, and
HuffPost CEO, Jared Grusd, announced that the South African edition will be launched in November. The site features 100 000 contributors representing a wide range of industries and interests. This will be
HuffPost’s 17
th edition as the company’s international expansion continues, now with a presence in 16 international markets across six continents.
News24 quoted Grusd as saying; “South Africa is an extremely exciting market for the company, as internet users there are expected to grow to 35.4-million by 2018, digital video is expected to grow by more than 29%, and overall mobile phone users to 41.5-million.”
He added; “On a personal level, I'm particularly thrilled about this launch as I was born in South Africa, and to launch an edition there is a coming home of sorts for me."
Andreij Horn, head of
24.com, reportedly said that
HuffPost would be a complementary brand to
24.com’s current digital portfolio. He said; “This is simply a natural fit for us in the most exciting time in the history of digital media, with the convergence of high technology and a relentless demand from our users for simplicity.”
He added; “
HuffPost will provide international content and its technology platform while Media24 will provide the local content and handle advertising sales. We believe the
HuffPost audience will enhance what we already have in
24.com and will therefore provide even more opportunities for our advertising clients.”
You can read the full update
here.