Vice Media sets sights on news and TV expansion

Vice Media is reportedly planning to launch local language news services in seven more countries and is also looking to make TV deals.

Speaking to Reuters, Vice founder and CEO Shane Smith said that the firm was planning to launch news services in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Australia in the next six months, and is working on a terrestrial TV deal.

Smith is also quoted as saying that a deal to buy TV networks would come “sooner rather than later,” and that negotiations were “on the home stretch.”

Smith told Reuters: “We are looking to buy not only a series of networks but also to have pretty much a comprehensive global terrestrial carriage deal, where we’ll be carried in between 150 and 200 countries from day one.”

Last month, A+E Networks and Technology Crossover Ventures each invested US$250 million (€190 million) in Vice for 10% stakes in the business. The deal reportedly valued Vice at more than US$2.5 billion.