| Arena Holdings | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Predecessor: | Johncom, Avusa, Tiso Blackstar Group |
| Foundation: | 2012 |
| Location City: | Johannesburg |
| Location Country: | South Africa |
| Key People: | Prakash Desai (CEO) |
| Industry: | Media |
| Products: | Publishing, entertainment, retail |
| Parent: | Lebashe Investment Group |
| Divisions: | Picasso Headline, Hirt & Carter, Nu Metro Cinemas (sold), and Exclusive Books. |
Arena Holdings, formerly known as Tiso Blackstar Group, Johnnic Communications, Avusa and Times Media Group, is a media company in South Africa. Avusa means "to rouse feelings, to revive and evoke action". The name was changed in 2007 in order to avoid confusion between Johnnic Communications and Johnnic Holdings.[1] The name was changed again (to Tiso Blackstar) in 2017.[2] Currently, they are facing restructures of the company.[3] [4]
In 2012, Avusa was acquired by a unit of Mvelaphanda Group and renamed Times Media Group, which was then relisted on the JSE.[5] In 2013, Times Media Group acquired the remaining 50% of BDFM from Pearson.[6]
In 2019, Tiso Blackstar Group sold its print, broadcasting and content assets to Lebashe Investment Group for billion. It was then announced that the assets would form a new company called Arena Holdings.[7]
Avusa created a network of its own websites, named Times Media Live, in 2010. In 2011 this network began to expand from three sites to 21 in 2014, made up mostly of disparate websites within the Group (Times Live,[9] Sowetan Live,[10] BDLIVE, Financial Mail, HeraldLive and more) including the African representation of The Daily Telegraph. In doing so, Times Media Live became the second-largest publisher network and thereafter, Times Live the second largest website in South Africa. Times Media Live was the first large media-owned publisher to reach profitability in the 2013 financial year. In 2014 The Rand Daily Mail was resuscitated as an online-only brand.
Picasso Headline currently publishes:
In April 2019, Tiso Blacksar relaunched Vrye Weekblad.
On 27 November 2016, The Sunday Times published a story claiming that South African radio and television personality, and former Idols SA judge, Gareth Cliff had "admitted to giving fellow Idols SA judge Marah Louw the spiked drink that led to her notorious slurring and swearing on live TV", with further suggestions made that the incident had resulted in Louw's contract not being renewed.[11] As a result of the article, Gareth Cliff was the victim of many insults on social media, before releasing a statement on Facebook confronting the false allegations printed in the Sunday Times. Susan Smuts, Managing Editor of the Times, responded to Cliff's lawyer, admitting that there had been "misinterpretations". Cliff, via his lawyer, demanded an unreserved apology from the Times.[12]