Primedia is putting its Enthusiast Media segment up for sale on, the company said Friday. The unit has 100 websites and 75 publications, with such titles as Motor Trend, Automotive.com, Equine.com, Hot Rod, Stereophile, and Wavewatch.com. If it can find the right buyer, Primedia hopes to use the proceeds of a sale to pay off its $1.3 billion debt. The company has retained Goldman, Sachs and Lehman Brothers to manage the sale of its largest division. The move follows this week’s acquisitions of the website RentalHouses.com and the Toronto-based VerticalScope’s Modified Automotive Group. In its report, Folio noted that it was unclear whether Primedia would seek to unload Enthusiast whole or sell off its constituent parts, which also includes two television stations and 65 events.
As for Primedia’s online audience reach, Enthusiast’s Automotive Digital Network is its lead offering in that area. The network holds seven flagship, in-market websites, including MotorTrend.com, AutomobileMag.com, Automotive.com, and Intellichoice.com. Those sites combined deliver more than 10 million unique visitors and 55 million pageviews each month, and is currently the eighth largest online automotive network, Primedia claims, citing figures from Nielsen//NetRating. Release
Related:
—Primedia Buys RentalHouses.com
—Primedia Sells Outdoor Titles To Hindery’s InterMedia Partners For $170 Million