JOE (JOE.ie and JOE.co.uk) is a Millennial-focused[2] distributed social media publisher in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with over 2 million unique visitors per month.[1] It is owned by Greencastle Media Group, which is itself owned by David Sefton, John Quinlan and Paul O'Donohoe.[3][4][5][6][7]

Joe
TypeOnline newspaper
Owner(s)Greencastle Capital, David Sefton
Founder(s)Niall McGarry
EditorPaddy McKenna
Founded2010 (2010)
Circulation2 million unique visitors per month[1]
Websitejoe.ie joe.co.uk

Background

edit

The publisher's original website Joe.ie was founded by Irish entrepreneur Niall McGarry.[4][5] Her.ie is a related website aimed at young women in Ireland. HerFamily.ie also forms part of the publishing group.[8] Joe Media Ltd. entered administration in May 2020,[9] exiting in October 2020.[10]

The Joe.ie website was founded in 2010 and nominated in October of that year for a Golden Spider Award in the One to Watch category.[11][12][13]

Irish showbiz website Goss.ie described it as "more influential" than traditional media in August 2016.[14] It was edited by Paddy McKenna.[15]

The site's Android app has had over 50,000 installs with a ratio of 2:1 for 5 star reviews vs 1 star reviews.[16] In November 2016, The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland upheld a complaint about an advert for Sprite which was featured on the site.[15]

SportsJOE.ie was launched in 2014, as an offshoot of JOE.ie, offering "in-depth analysis".[1] Daily Telegraph and Sunday Independent sports columnist Dion Fanning moved to the site in 2015.[1][17]

JOE.co.uk

edit

JOE.co.uk was launched for the United Kingdom market in September 2015 with Tony Barrett of The Times and former footballer Ledley King among the contributors.[18][19][5][8]

BBC political researcher Joey D'Urso cited content from JOE.co.uk, such as a video superimposing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's face onto that of the rapper Stormzy while the leader appears "to rap a list of policies", as an example of viral social media content which helped Labour's standing in the 2017 general election (especially among the youth), but which was not directly funded by the party itself.[20]

In 2018, the company hired Brian Whelan from Channel 4 News to oversee video operations and the BBC's Simon Clancy to run their podcast shows.[21]

In 2020, JOE and Swedemason won the 2020 "Content Creator of the Year" award in The Drum's online media awards for their viral videos of mashing up politicians' words to fit a song.[22]

PoliticsJOE

edit

PoliticsJOE is the political stream for the website.[23][24] It is headed up by Oli Dugmore.[25] PoliticsJOE had the most popular political video of 2019, with over 40 million views.[26] During the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the PoliticsJOE podcast had the fifth largest average viewership of UK political podcasts on YouTube.[27]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Slattery, Laura (6 November 2014). "How Irish digital media companies are betting on sport". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  2. ^ Prior, David (10 October 2016). "Social Chain launches rival to The Lad Bible and Joe.co.uk with millennial-focused Sporf". ProlificNorth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  3. ^ Slattery, Laura (3 November 2016). "Complaints upheld against 'sexist' Sprite advertisement". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b "JOE.ie boss McGarry plots €20m move on UK market". Irish Independent. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Jackson, Jasper (23 October 2016). "'Assumptions other titles make about young men are flawed' says Joe.co.uk boss". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Here's what Offaly man Joe Troy makes of his epic Snapchat story going viral worldwide". DailyEdge.ie. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016. The next day, his friend decided to post it on Facebook and send it to Joe.ie
  7. ^ Sexton, Colette (7 August 2016). "Never a slow week for Joe.ie". Sunday Business Post. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Maximum launches Joe.co.uk". Sunday Business Post. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Owner of social news website Joe.co.uk enters administration". Prolific North. 26 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Several senior management staff leaving Joe.ie company". The Irish Times.
  11. ^ "JOE.ie founder to speakin (sic) Galway". Advertiser.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  12. ^ "TV3's ShowPal™ wins prestigious Spider Award" (Press release). TV3 (Ireland). 29 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  13. ^ Dillon Scott, Piers (29 October 2010). "A quick tour of this year's Eircom Spiders awards and nominees". TheSociable.co. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  14. ^ Ryan, Ali (24 August 2016). "Our Influencer List Explained". Goss.ie. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  15. ^ a b Slattery, Laura. "Complaints upheld against 'sexist' Sprite advertisement". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  16. ^ "JOE -The voice of Irish men - Apps on Google Play". Google Play.
  17. ^ Farrell, Sinéad (27 March 2016). "Sunday Paper Review: Dion Fanning explains his reasons for switching to Sports Joe and tackles the subject of click bait". Newstalk. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  18. ^ Southern, Lucinda (7 January 2016). "Lad-lite publisher JOE Media rings in 2016 by doubling its UK team". Digiday. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016.
  19. ^ Flynn, Robert (31 August 2015). "Joe.ie all set to launch new website "for men, not lads."". MediaHQ.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  20. ^ D'Urso, Joey (31 March 2018). "Who spent what on Facebook at 2017 election?". BBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  21. ^ ResponseSource. "Simon Clancy and Brian Whelan join JOE.co.uk". ResponseSource. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  22. ^ "JOE Media : Swedemason - Content Creator of the Year". The Drum. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Private Eye | Ian Hislop's Review Of The Year: 2022". www.private-eye.co.uk.
  24. ^ Peat, Jack (2 June 2023). "PoliticsJOE journalist speaks out about being groped in parliament bar". JOE.co.uk.
  25. ^ "Oli Dugmore, head of news and politics, JOE Media, on virtue signalling". www.journalism.co.uk. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  26. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, Delete the media?". BBC. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  27. ^ Maher, Bron. "'The first podcast election': Political podcasts explode in run-up to polling day". Press Gazette. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
edit