Vice Media, which claimed a connection with millennials, is accused of being "built on a bluff"

The popularity of the company behind two HBO shows and the cable network Viceland has been wildly overestimated, despite its multi-billion-dollar valuation, according to New York Magazine. When Viceland launched two years ago, taking over the older-skewing History channel spinoff H2, Vice co-founder Shane Smith: “Twelve months from now, we’ll be on the cover of Time magazine as the guys who brought millennials back to TV." While its HBO's Vice News Tonight is successful, Vice Media's Viceland is the 83rd most-watched cable channel, averaging 103,000 primetime viewers.