Versant Media Expands to 250 KSF in Times Square

May 27, 2026

Office Brokerage New York News More Northeast

The tenant will occupy six consecutive floors at the landmark office building.

Aerial shot of the 15-story office building at 229 W. 43rd St. in Times Square. — The office building at 229 W. 43rd St. housed *The New York Times* offices for more than nine decades. *Image courtesy of Columbia Property Trust Inc.*

Media and entertainment company Versant Media Group Inc. has signed an 84,509-square-foot lease at Columbia Property Trust Inc.’s 229 W. 43rd St., in Manhattan’s Times Square. The deal brings Versant’s footprint to a total of 249,054 square feet, becoming the largest tenant at the property.

The media company will occupy a total of six consecutive floors at the office building. Along with the expansion deal, Versant has also extended its lease for another 18 years. CBRE worked on behalf of the tenant in the lease transactions, while the ownership had in-house representation.

Versant’s portfolio features cable brands such as MS NOW, CNBC, USA Network, Golf Channel, E!, SYFY and Oxygen, as well as digital platforms Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

The New York Times’ former home

Completed in 1912, the 15-story office property housed The New York Times offices for more than nine decades and was deemed a New York City Landmark in 2001. The LEED Silver-certified building is located at the southwest corner of Times Square, between Eighth and Seventh Avenues.

The 481,266-square-foot asset features 10 passenger elevators, a fitness center and two floors of retail space. Its roster includes technology company Snap Inc. and media platform PubMatic & WGSN. Since Versant’s expansion deal, the building has been 96 percent leased.

READ ALSO: Office Real Estate Trends in 2026

The New York City Landmark has been under Columbia Property Trust Inc.’s ownership since 2015, when the company acquired a 66 percent majority stake in the asset from Perform Properties, for $516 million, according to Yardi Matrix information.

AI firms could tilt office leasing demand in Manhattan

As of April, Manhattan’s average advertised office listing rate climbed 1.4 percent year-over-year to $69.29 per square foot, according to a recent Yardi Matrix report. Prices positioned the borough at the top of Yardi Matrix’s list of 30 metros, with San Francisco ($62.03 per square foot) and Miami ($58.41 per square foot) trailing behind.

During the same month, the borough’s vacancy rate registered a steep 300-basis-point drop on a trailing 12-month basis to 13.1 percent, second only to Miami’s 12.5 percent.

Office demand in Manhattan stands at a crossroads, as AI firms increasingly move into the borough and lease large spaces. Recent leasing deals include Argentio’s 20,000-square-foot commitment at 295 Fifth Ave. and EliseAI’s 109,000-square-foot lease at 401 Fifth Ave.