Thursday, February 16, 2017

Investor sees 'great returns' from new digital media

Vucinic, photo by Ted.com
Many media investors see disaster everywhere they look, as traditional media lose audience, revenues, and relevance.

Sasa Vucinic, co-founder and co-managing director of North Base Media, sees great investment opportunities, especially in developing markets, such as Central Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

"We invest in serious digital-only media oriented toward the younger audience that can disrupt their markets. And we think it’s a phenomenal business that will bring great financial returns."

Vucinic, who began his journalism career in Serbia, has been a crusader for media organizations that tell the truth about corrupt, oppressive regimes. I reached him via Skype in South Korea, where he was looking at investment opportunities. I wanted to ask him about social purpose investing, where investors direct their money toward organizations that not only give a financial return but also have a positive impact on society. 

Versión en español

Vucinic said he no longer talks about social impact with investors. "I spent 16 years trying to prove to investors that a media company has a two pronged nature: It is a business that will be sustainable and profitable, if possible, and at the same time it provides an incredibly important role in the society," he told me. "I actually think that if you do not understand that media plays an important role in society, you're not very likely to invest in it anyway."