Ozy Media will shut down. This was the conclusion of a wild week that started with an expose from The New York Times. Ben Smith’s reporting on Ozy’s questionable audience size, promotion and an odd phone call started the quick downward spiral.
Editor's Note: Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson, says on Monday, they not closing.
The New York Times shared the statement from Ozy Friday afternoon:
At Ozy, we have been blessed with a remarkable team of dedicated staff,” the company’s board of directors said in a statement. “Many of them are world-class journalists and experienced professionals to whom we owe tremendous gratitude and who are wonderful colleagues. It is therefore with the heaviest of hearts that we must announce today that we are closing Ozy’s doors.
Ozy founder and CEO Carlos Watson had called the Times’ piece a “ridiculous hitjob” and tweeted his response. Watson says the company did not mislead Goldman Sachs about its relationship to YouTube. Furthermore, the founder touted the firm’s broad audience reach. That includes 26 million email subscribers, over 25 million video and podcast viewers monthly and a social reach over 30 million monthly.
What is OZY?
Watson started OZY Media in 2013 and describes it as “a daily digital magazine that uncovers the people and trends that are just percolating today but set to go big tomorrow.”
The Carlos Watson Show launched in 2020 as a “flavorful talk show”. Furthermore, the show has drawn a high caliber of guests. The line-up includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, Matthew McConaughey, Mark Cuban, CNBC’s Jim Cramer and Ava DuVernay.
The Ozy Fest also drew high profile headliners. That included Fauci, Cuban as well as comedian Tig Notaro, artist Marc Rebillet. Joe Biden and Condoleezza Rice. The live event brought “together the game-changers and change-makers who area ahead of their time.” A waitlist for the next event in Miami is open. This would have been the sixth year for the Fest.
