The Tab

The Tab is a youth-focused digital media company that provides news and entertainment content tailored for a Gen-Z and Millennial audience. Founded in 2009 by Cambridge students Jack Rivlin, George Marangos-Gilks, and Taymoor Atighetchi, the platform emerged as a response to what they perceived as out-of-touch student newspapers. Their venture began as a campus-based online tabloid and has since expanded into a significant media voice for young people in the UK and the US.

The company's core operational strategy involves a network of student reporters across numerous universities who generate hyper-local campus stories. This content is complemented by a professional editorial team in London that produces articles on broader topics including pop culture, entertainment, celebrity news, and lifestyle trends. This hybrid model allows The Tab to break campus news while also covering global youth culture. In 2025, the company expanded its portfolio by launching Reality Shrine, a dedicated site for reality TV enthusiasts. The business generates revenue primarily through advertising, leveraging its technology platform to drive traffic and monetization.

Financially, The Tab has undergone significant evolution. Initially funded by its founders, it later secured external investment to facilitate a national launch around 2012. A major funding milestone occurred in 2017 when the company raised $6 million, with News Corp becoming a key investor and taking a minority stake. Despite this backing, the company operated at a loss for a period. In October 2020, The Tab was acquired by Digitalbox PLC for £750,000. Under Digitalbox's ownership, the focus shifted towards achieving profitability, which was reportedly accomplished within a month of the acquisition. The new parent company applied its technology to enhance traffic and ad revenue, a model it successfully used with other digital properties. By April 2022, The Tab had reportedly paid off its entire purchase cost to Digitalbox.

Keywords: youth media, digital publishing, Gen Z news, student journalism, pop culture, entertainment news, viral content, celebrity drama, university news, online media, media acquisition, Digitalbox plc, Jack Rivlin, campus news, lifestyle content, TikTok trends, reality TV news, advertising revenue model