Daily Hive, formerly known as Vancity Buzz, is a Canadian online newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1] It began digital publishing in 2008 and became Western Canada's largest online-only publication by 2016.[2]
 | |
| Formerly | Vancity Buzz |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008  |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia |
Areas served | Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland |
| Brands | Daily Hive, Dished, Urbanized, Grow, Colony Digital, ID Agency, Mapped |
Number of employees | 62 (2020) |
| Website | dailyhive |
In September 2022, ZoomerMedia announced a deal to acquire Daily Hive for $16.4 million.[3]
The site began its publishing in 2008 under the name Vancity Buzz and was founded by Manny Bahia and Karm Sumal. The name was changed to Daily Hive in 2016 when the company expanded nationally.[4]
Concurrently with its rebranding as Daily Hive, the publication expanded to Toronto and Montreal.[5]
In November 2017, Daily Hive deleted many of their posts on their official Instagram account as a form of viral marketing, inspired by Taylor Swift's similar publicity stunt earlier in the year. They then posted images of the word "Nude". This stunt caused growth in their social media presence and gained them more followers than before.[6]
In 2018, Daily Hive launched ID Agency, an in-house influencer marketing agency operating out of their Vancouver office.
In 2018, Daily Hive acquired Colony Digital, a full-service creative agency based in Vancouver.
In February 2019, Daily Hive acquired Torontoist, a long-running web publication that formerly offered similar coverage of Toronto.[7] Originally established in 2004 as part of the Gothamist network of city-specific news websites,[8] Torontoist was a property of St. Joseph Media from 2011 until its acquisition by Daily Hive.[9] It no longer publishes original content as a separate entity from Daily Hive.
In 2019, Daily Hive made their first international expansion into the US market, opening channels in both Seattle and Portland.[10]
Prior to its 2016 rebrandingasDaily Hive, the Vancity Buzz site was the subject of numerous criticisms and controversies. Notable accusations included unethical journalism practices, plagiarism,[11] and fearmongering.[12]
In 2016, former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson accused Vancity Buzz of starting a media frenzy when the site published photos of three British tourists that were described as suspicious and "Middle Eastern" in an internal Vancouver Police bulletin.[13][12] Robertson later apologized to the three on behalf of the city.
In 2018, former Vancity Buzz contributor Bartosz Bos sued the organization, alleging that he was owed more than $18,000 in back pay for work done in 2013 that was never compensated.[11] Vancity Buzz co-founder Manny Bahia was ordered by court to pay Bos $1,000 for "coming unprepared for trial" at a 2020 hearing during the suit.[14]