{{Short description|American direct marketing company}} {{Distinguish|Packet Clearing House}} {{Good article}} {{Use American English|date=March 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox company | name = Publishers Clearing House | logo = 200px | type = Private | foundation = {{Start date and age|1953}}<ref name="Clifford">{{cite news |last=Clifford |first=Stephanie |date=December 23, 2008 |title=Old-Line Magazine Sweepstakes Company Gets Digital |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/business/media/23adco.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411153630/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/business/media/23adco.html |archive-date=2009-04-11 |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | successor = ARB Interactive | location = Jericho, New York, U.S. | revenue = {{Unbulleted list|class=nowrap|{{Decrease}} $38 million (2024)<ref name="AP-BK" />|$841 million (2013)<ref name="crainsnewyork2014" />}} | num_employees = {{Unbulleted list|class=nowrap|{{Decrease}} 105 (2025)<ref name="AP-BK" />|550 (2014)<ref name="crainsnewyork2014">{{cite news |title=New York Area's Largest Privately Held Companies |date=November 17, 2014 |newspaper=Crain's New York Business}}</ref>}} | homepage = {{Official URL}} }}
'''Publishers Clearing House''' ('''PCH''') is an American company founded in 1953 by Harold Mertz. The company offered bulk mail direct marketing of periodicals (and later merchandise) as an alternative to door-to-door magazine subscription sales. Publishers Clearing House is most widely known for its sweepstakes and prize-based games, which were introduced in 1967. From August 2020 to March 2024, it owned the Wide Open Media publications ''Wide Open Spaces'' (about outdoors lifestyle), ''Wide Open Country'' (about country music), and ''FanBuzz'' (about sports).<ref name="Criteo">{{cite web |url=https://www.criteo.com/blog/supply-spotlight-with-publisher-clearing-houses-darin-leach/ |title=Supply Spotlight with Publishers Clearing House's Darin Leach |date=November 2, 2020 |website=Criteo}}</ref>
PCH sweepstakes have been subject to legal action regarding whether consumers were misled about the odds of winning, and whether purchases improved their chances. By 2010, the company had reached settlements with all 50 states, and in 2023 the Federal Trade Commission ordered PCH to overhaul its sweepstakes processes.<ref name="ftc">{{cite press release |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-takes-action-against-publishers-clearing-house-misleading-consumers-about-sweepstakes-entries |title=FTC Takes Action Against Publishers Clearing House for Misleading Consumers About Sweepstakes Entries |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=June 27, 2023 |access-date=October 20, 2023 }}</ref> In 2025, PCH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and its assets were acquired by ARB Interactive, an online sweepstakes company.
== History == === Early history === Publishers Clearing House was founded in 1953 in Port Washington, New York by Harold Mertz,<ref name="llp">{{cite magazine |last=Lammie |first=Rob |date=June 21, 2012 |title=You may already be a winner! The story of Publishers Clearing House |magazine=Mental Floss |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30981/you-may-already-be-winner-story-publishers-clearing-house |access-date=April 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Saslow" /> a former manager of a door-to-door sales team for magazine subscriptions.<ref name="ten" /> The company started in Mertz's basement with help from his first wife LuEsther and daughter Joyce.<ref name="resp">{{cite news |newspaper=Response Magazine |title=PCH Wins All Day Long |date=February 1, 2013 |access-date=July 14, 2013 |url=http://responsemagazine.com/direct-response-marketing/pch-wins-all-day-long-5066 |first=Thomas |last=Haire |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328042029/http://www.responsemagazine.com/direct-response-marketing/pch-wins-all-day-long-5066 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="book" /><!-- his second wife was Esther Mae Mertz, 1915–2011, https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20111101/News/605221337/SH --> Its first mailings were of 10,000 envelopes from Mertz's home on Long Island, New York, and offered 20 magazine subscriptions. A hundred orders were received. Within a few years, the company moved out of Mertz's basement into an office building and started hiring staff. When PCH moved its headquarters in 1969, its prior location was donated to the city and renamed the Harold E. Mertz Community Center.<ref name="book">{{Cite book |last=Lester |first=Darrell |date=October 27, 2011 |title=The Naked Truth About Publishers Clearing House |url=http://www.pchbook.com/Docs/PCH_Introduction%28new%29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190904/http://www.pchbook.com/Docs/PCH_Introduction(new).pdf |archive-date=January 23, 2018 |publisher=Pennywyse Press |isbn=978-1-935437-42-0}}</ref> The company's revenue had grown to US$50 million by 1981, and $100 million by 1988.<ref name="ten">{{cite web |title=International Directory of Company Histories |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/publishers-clearing-house-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118063807/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/publishers-clearing-house-history/ |archive-date=November 18, 2012 |publisher=St. James Press |volume=64 |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-5586-2509-9}}</ref>
In 1967, PCH ran its first sweepstakes as a way to increase subscription sales,<ref name="two" /> modeled after sweepstakes held by ''Reader's Digest''.<ref name="llp" /> The first prizes ranged from $1 to $10 and entrants had a 1 in 10 chance of winning. After the sweepstakes increased response rates to mailings, prizes of $5,000<ref name="ten" /> and eventually $250,000 were offered.<ref name="wsj">{{cite news |first=Greg |last=Jaffe |date=February 18, 1998 |title=Sweepstakes Industry May Not Be a WINNER! |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB887755637284060500 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> PCH began advertising the sweepstakes on TV in 1974.<ref name="resp" /><ref name="eight">{{cite web |url=http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/publishers-clearing-house-hits-the-jackpot-customer-driven-integrated-marketing/1 |title=Cover Story: Full Sweep |website=Target Marketing |date=November 2011 |first=Hallie |last=Mummert |access-date=July 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825071850/http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/publishers-clearing-house-hits-the-jackpot-customer-driven-integrated-marketing/all/ |archive-date=August 25, 2019}}</ref> It was the only major multi-magazine subscription business until 1977. Former client Time Inc. and several other publishers formed American Family Publishers (AFP) to compete with PCH after the company refused repeated requests by Time for a larger share of sales revenue from magazine subscriptions.<ref name="llp" /><ref name="book" />
AFP and PCH competed for exclusive rights to magazines and for the better promotion and prize ideas. When AFP increased its jackpot to $1 million,<ref name="wsj" /> and then to $10 million in 1985, PCH raised its prizes to match.<ref name="llp" /> PCH had distributed $7 million in prizes by 1979,<ref>{{cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Ralph |author-link=Ralph Blumenthal |date=July 25, 1979 |title=Sweepstakes: Some Do Hit the Jackpot |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1979/07/25/111050203.pdf |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 13, 2013}}</ref> $40 million by 1991,<ref name="Saslow">{{cite news |last=Saslow |first=Linda |title=It's Sweepstakes Time, and It's a Frenzy |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |date=January 20, 1991 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/20/nyregion/it-s-sweepstakes-time-and-it-s-a-frenzy.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616181652/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/20/nyregion/it-s-sweepstakes-time-and-it-s-a-frenzy.html |archive-date=June 16, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and $137 million by 2000.<ref name="two">{{cite news |title=Disappointed couple sues Publishers Clearing House |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ca5IAAAAIBAJ&pg=1418,2354100&dq=publisher%27s-clearing-house&hl=en |date=April 15, 2000 |access-date=September 6, 2025 |page=2 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Record-Journal |location=Meridian, Conn}}</ref> In 1989, two members of its advertising team, Dave Sayer and Todd Sloane, started the Prize Patrol, a publicized event where winners are surprised with a check at their home. The idea was inspired by the 1950s television series ''The Millionaire''.<ref name="llp" /><ref name="five">{{cite web |last=Campanelli |first=Melissa |title=Publishers Clearing House Acquires Blingo |website=Direct Marketing News |date=June 26, 2001 |url=http://www.dmnews.com/publishers-clearing-house-acquires-blingo/article/91857/ |access-date=August 29, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616103248/https://www.dmnews.com/customer-experience/article/13042172/publishers-clearing-house-acquires-blingo |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The $10 Million Prize Patrol: Myths and Truths |url=http://articles.philly.com/1997-01-26/news/25559638_1_prize-patrol-american-family-publishers-sweepstakes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212180704/http://articles.philly.com/1997-01-26/news/25559638_1_prize-patrol-american-family-publishers-sweepstakes |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |first=Jeff |last=Gelles |date=January 26, 1997 |access-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref> The two companies were often mistaken for each other, with AFP spokespeople Ed McMahon and Dick Clark mistaken for representatives of the better-known PCH.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |last=Faw |first=Larissa |title=The Curious Case Of Ed McMahon And The Publishers Clearing House |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/11/21/the-curious-case-of-ed-mcmahon-and-the-publishers-clearing-house/ |accessdate=February 18, 2014 |magazine=Forbes}}</ref>
=== Government regulation and legal actions === Beginning in the 1990s, PCH and its primary competitor, AFP, experienced a series of lawsuits claiming that their mailings misled consumers about their odds of winning and implied that magazine purchases improved their chances.<ref name="llp" /><ref name="wsj" /> This led to the [https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-bill/335 Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act] of 2000, which regulates direct mail businesses.<ref name="llp" /> At the Senate hearings regarding this Act, PCH claimed most consumers were not confused about their chances of winning or that purchases did not increase their chances. The company said that fewer than five percent of participants spent more than $300.<ref name="book" /> However, government officials from California claimed 5,000 local consumers spent more than $2,500 each in magazine purchases under the false belief that they were increasing their odds of winning the sweepstakes.<ref name="opyltwo" />
Industry sources estimated that PCH's response rates decreased by 7 to 12 percent and its sales volume by 22 to 30 percent in response to negative publicity from these lawsuits.<ref name="ten" /><ref name="libn.com">{{cite news |title=PCH Cleans House, Goes Virtual in Profit Play |url=https://libn.com/2000/02/18/pch-cleans-house-goes-virtual-in-profit-play/ |date=February 18, 2000 |access-date=April 14, 2013 |newspaper=Long Island Business News}}</ref> In 2000, PCH laid off a quarter of its 800-person workforce.<ref name="libn.com" />
==== Lawsuits and settlements ==== In 1992, thousands of discarded sweepstakes entries from contestants who had not bought magazine subscriptions were found in the company's trash, reinforcing beliefs that the company favored those who made purchases in selecting a sweepstakes winner.<ref name="llp" /> PCH said this was done by a disgruntled employee at its mail processing vendor.<ref name="book" /> A class action lawsuit ensued, which PCH settled by giving discarded entrants a second chance to win.<ref name="llp" /><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Victoria Advocate |date=November 26, 1992 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E0hSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3144,958660&dq=publishers-clearing-house&hl=en |title=Lawsuit sets off million-dollar alert |page=2C |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref>
In 1994, PCH sent mailings telling recipients they were all "finalists", which led to<ref name="wsj" /> a lawsuit involving the attorneys general of 14 US states.<ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=David |title=Contest Offers Mislead Entrants Publishers Clearing House Pays $490,000 and Promises To Change Its Promotions |agency=Bloomberg Business News |newspaper=Albany Times Union |via=HighBeam Research |date=August 25, 1994 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-156775927.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106112129/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-156775927.html |archive-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref><ref name="one">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Sweepstakes firm, 14 states make deal |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OhUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6797,3655857&dq=publisher%27s-clearing-house&hl=en |access-date=September 6, 2025 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |page=10D |date=August 25, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=That Big Magazine Contest Pays |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rWYzAAAAIBAJ&pg=3868,7307441&dq=publisher%27s-clearing-house&hl=en |newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |date=August 25, 1994 |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref> Later that year, PCH denied wrongdoing, but agreed to pay a settlement of $490,000 and to change its practices.<ref name="one" /> Under the agreement, PCH said it would define terms like "finalist" and disclose the chances of winning.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=August 21, 1994 |title=Publishers Clearing House to Spell Out Winning Chances |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XgUxAAAAIBAJ&pg=4970,5997003&dq=publishers-clearing-house&hl=en |newspaper=The Daily Gazette |location=Schenectady, New York |page=B8 |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref>
In 1997, a contestant of competitor AFP flew to Tampa, Florida, thinking he had won, though he had not. The resulting publicity caused more lawsuits for both companies.<ref name="ten" /> PCH reached a $30 million national settlement in 1999.<ref name="book" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Publishers Clearing House to Pay $30 Million to Settle Suit |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-21-fi-1036-story.html |date=February 21, 2000 |access-date=April 26, 2013 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |agency=Associated Press |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2000, another $18 million settlement was reached with 24 states, after the company sent mass mailings which said "You are a winner!" and used mock personalized checks.<ref name="opyltwo" /><ref name="opyl" /> PCH agreed to avoid similar mailings in the future, and add a "sweepstakes fact box" to mailings.<ref name="opyltwo">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Pae |agency=''Los Angeles Times'' |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |title=Publishers Clearing House Loses $18 million |url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Publishers-Clearing-House-Loses-18-Million-2708375.php |date=August 23, 2000 |access-date=April 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="opyl">{{cite news |title=Publishers Clearing House Strikes Deceptive-Practices Accord |date=August 23, 2000 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times |page=16 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/23/us/publishers-clearing-house-strikes-deceptive-practices-accord.html}}</ref>
Concerns about deceptive practices by PCH continued after this national settlement and the passing of the Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act in 2000. State attorneys spoke out against the national settlement, and individual states filed additional lawsuits.<ref name="book" /> Another $34 million settlement was reached in 2001 in a lawsuit involving 25 states, bringing the total settlements since 1999 to $82 million.<ref name="Clifford" /><ref name="six">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5BdHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3030,3922775&dq=publisher%27s-clearing-house&hl=en |title=Miller Announces $34 million sweepstakes settlement |access-date=September 6, 2025 |date=December 15, 2003 |newspaper=The Daily Reporter |location=Spencer, Iowa |page=4}}</ref> As part of the settlement, PCH was required to avoid terms including "Guaranteed Winner," and to add disclaimers to mailings saying that the recipient had not yet won and that purchasing merchandise would not improve the chances of winning.<ref name="seven" /><ref name="six" /><ref name="Ulferts">{{cite news |title=Publishers Clearing House settles |first=Alisa |last=Ulferts |url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/062701/State/Publishers_Clearing_H.shtml |date=June 27, 2001 |access-date=July 10, 2013 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times}}</ref> PCH reached settlements with all 50 states and agreed to work with a "compliance counsel."<ref name="ten" /> PCH apologized in the settlement and said it would contact customers who had spent more than $1,000 on merchandise the prior year.<ref name="Ulferts" />
PCH reached another agreement with Iowa in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dmnews.com/publishers-clearing-house/article/100244/# |title=Publishers Clearing House |website=Direct Marketing News |access-date=July 10, 2013 |date=December 28, 2007 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129073935/http://www.dmnews.com/publishers-clearing-house/article/100244/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2010, the company paid $3.5 million to the attorneys general of 32 states and the District of Columbia to settle possible contempt charges that it had violated the terms of the 2001 agreement. The company denied wrongdoing, but agreed to work with both an ombudsman and a compliance counsel who would review its mailings quarterly.<ref name="Pankratz">{{cite news |last=Pankratz |first=Howard |title=Publishers Clearing House to pay for violation |newspaper=The Denver Post |date=September 10, 2010 |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2010/09/09/publishers-clearing-house-to-pay-for-violation/ |access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pelham |first=Victoria |title=Publishers Clearing House to increase protections against deceptive sweepstakes marketing |website=ABC 15 News Phoenix |url=http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/publishers-clearing-house-to-increase-protections-against-deceptive-sweepstakes-marketing |access-date=October 2, 2013 |date=September 9, 2010 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020121344/http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/publishers-clearing-house-to-increase-protections-against-deceptive-sweepstakes-marketing |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Teresa |last1=Blackman |first2=Anne |last2=Yeager |title=$3.5 Million Publishers Clearing House Lawsuit Settled in Oregon |website=KGW News |url=http://www.kgw.com/news/Publishers-Clearing-House-lawsuit-settled-in-Ore-102551499.html |access-date=April 30, 2013 |date=September 9, 2010 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020123423/http://www.kgw.com/news/Publishers-Clearing-House-lawsuit-settled-in-Ore-102551499.html |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=States settle Publishers Clearing House "deceptive" trade practices |date=October 21, 2010 |access-date=July 13, 2013 |url=http://news.consumerreports.org/money/2010/10/publishers-clearing-house-dont-be-duped-marketing-ploy-agreement-attorney-general-prohibit-false-deceptive-practices.html |magazine=Consumer Reports |archive-date=July 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706094529/http://news.consumerreports.org/money/2010/10/publishers-clearing-house-dont-be-duped-marketing-ploy-agreement-attorney-general-prohibit-false-deceptive-practices.html |url-status=usurped}}</ref>
In April 2014, an investigation by the Senate Special Committee on Aging concluded that PCH had "pushed the limits" of federal law and legal settlements and that additional legislation might be needed, especially since the 2000 law did not cover email and other online communications.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/04/don-t-be-mislead-by-publishers-clearing-house/index.htm |title=Don't be mislead by Publishers Clearing House |magazine=Consumer Reports |access-date=November 4, 2019 |date=April 23, 2014 |last=Giorgianni |first=Anthony}}</ref>
Beginning in late 2021, PCH was hit with multiple new class action lawsuits, alleging that "Publishers Clearing House sells and rents mailing lists containing subscribers' personal information to a variety of third parties ... with each claiming the publishing company monetizes its subscribers' private information—including their names and addresses—without consent."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/privacy/publishers-clearing-house-class-actions-claim-subscribers-didnt-know-personal-information-sold-to-advertisers/ |title=Publishers Clearing House Mailing Lists Class Action Lawsuits Overview |website=topclassactions.com |date=December 3, 2021 |access-date=December 3, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Styf |first1=Jon |title=Publishers Clearing House class action alleges company shares purchaser info |url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/privacy/publishers-clearing-house-class-action-alleges-company-shares-purchaser-info/ |website=Top Class Actions |date=December 21, 2023 |access-date=February 21, 2024}}</ref>
In June 2023, the Federal Trade Commission ordered PCH "to overhaul its sweepstakes entry and sales processes, stop surprise fees, and pay $18.5 million to consumers."<ref name="ftc" /> At that time, the FTC also issued a consumer alert describing the deceptive practices in which PCH was found to engage.<ref>{{cite web |last=Puig |first=Alvaro |title=Publishers Clearing House Deceived Consumers about Their Sweepstakes Contests, FTC Says |url=https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/06/publishers-clearing-house-deceived-consumers-about-their-sweepstakes-contests-ftc-says |date=June 27, 2023 |website=Federal Trade Commission |access-date=February 21, 2024}}</ref>
=== Online development === Beginning in the 1990s, the company shifted its focus online.<ref name="Clifford" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Courtney |last=Macavinta |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/publishers-clearing-house-rushes-the-net-grapples-with-privacy/ |title=Publishers Clearing House Rushes the Net, Grapples with Privacy |access-date=April 26, 2013 |date=December 28, 1999 |website=CNET}}</ref> It began selling magazine subscriptions and merchandise on PCH.com in 1996.<ref name="Levere">{{cite news |last=Levere |first=Jane L. |title=Publishers Look to New Medium To Rekindle Sales in Older One |newspaper=The New York Times |page=11 |date=December 1, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/01/business/publishers-look-to-new-medium-to-rekindle-sales-in-older-one.html}}</ref> PCH acquired the assets of search company Blingo in 2006,<ref>{{cite press release |title=Publishers Clearing House Acquires Blingo, Inc.; Parent of Famous Prize Patrol Welcomes Blingo's Rapidly Growing Internet 'Search and Win' Site |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060710005289/en/Publishers-Clearing-House-Acquires-Blingo-Parent-Famous |publisher=Publishers Clearing House |via=Business Wire |access-date=April 2, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190922/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060710005289/en/Publishers-Clearing-House-Acquires-Blingo-Parent-Famous}}</ref> online gaming company Funtank in 2010, mobile marketing company Liquid Wireless in 2012, and internet news aggregator Topix in 2019.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Publishers Clearing House Acquires Topix |url=https://www.owler.com/reports/pch/pch--publishers-clearing-house-acquires-topix/1569271678729 |publisher=Publishers Clearing House |via=Owler |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref>
In 2006, PCH acquired Blingo Inc., an ad-supported metasearch engine that was later re-branded as PCH Search and Win.<ref name="five" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Crowell |first=Grant |title=How Search Engines Make Money |url=https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2003/12/16/how-search-engines-make-money/ |website=Search Engine Watch |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref> PCH ran contests on Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, and developed iPhone apps for slot games and trivia. The company created online play-and-win sites like PCH Games (formerly Candystand) and PCHQuiz4Cash, with air-hockey and video poker games.<ref name="Clifford" />
In December 2010, PCH acquired Funtank and its online gaming site Candystand.com.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mickey |first=Bill |date=January 11, 2012 |title=Publishers Clearing House Buys Mobile Lead-Gen Provider Liquid Wireless |website=Folio |url=https://www.foliomag.com/publishers-clearing-house-buys-mobile-lead-gen-provider-liquid-wireless/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133623/https://www.foliomag.com/publishers-clearing-house-buys-mobile-lead-gen-provider-liquid-wireless/ |archive-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> In 2011, PCH promoted a "$5,000 every week for life" sweepstakes in TV ads and the front page of AOL.com.<ref name="eight" /><ref name="seven">{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Elliot |title=Prize Patrol Heads Over to AOL |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 11, 2011 |url=https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/prize-patrol-heads-over-to-aol/|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The following year, the company acquired a mobile marketing company, Liquid Wireless.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wauters |first=Robin |date=December 6, 2010 |title=Publishers Clearing House Buys Funtank, Gaming Site Candystand.com |website=TechCrunch.com |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/06/publishers-clearing-house-buys-funtank-gaming-site-candystand-com/}}</ref> At times, the company utilized co-registration through other websites to expand its customer base.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Barkin |first=Eric |date=July 2013 |url=https://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-Insights/Case-Studies/Publishers-Clearing-House-Clears-Coregistration-Concerns-90125.aspx |title=Publishers Clearing House Clears Coregistration Concerns |magazine=Customer Relationship Management |page=52}}</ref>
In 2008, a PCH spokesperson said the digital properties were intended to attract younger consumers. By 2013, the internet had become PCH's primary channel of interaction with consumers.<ref name="resp" /> ''The New York Times'' described the digital transition as "part of an overall effort to collect information on Web users, show them advertisements and use the registration information for PCH's mailing lists."<ref name="Clifford" />
=== Wide Open Media publishing === In 2020, PCH acquired digital publisher Wide Open Media Group, publisher of websites Wide Open Spaces, Wide Open Country, and FanBuzz.<ref name="Criteo" />
These publications focus on particular topics.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Publishers Clearing House |title=Wide Open Media Group Relaunches Wide Open Spaces |via=Yahoo Finance |date=May 9, 2023 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wide-open-media-group-relaunches-130100778.html |access-date=October 21, 2023}}</ref> ''Wide Open Spaces'' is about outdoors lifestyle; the editorial director was Rachael Schultz, formerly of ''Insider'' and Hearst Communications. ''Wide Open Country'' focuses on country music, and is based in Nashville. The sports publication ''FanBuzz'' previously belonged to Cox Media Group.
According to Schultz, PCH ended its operation of Wide Open Media in March 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachael-schultz-571b9b20_very-sad-to-hear-publishers-clearing-house-activity-7174068758691336193-axuP |title=Very sad to hear Publishers Clearing House decided to shutter all of Wide Open Media Group this week |first=Rachael |last=Schultz |website=LinkedIn |date=March 2024 |access-date=April 14, 2025}}{{Self-published source|ABOUTSELF=y|reason=Seems permissible under WP:ABOUTSELF, but a published secondary source would be preferred.|date=April 2025}}</ref>
=== Bankruptcy filing === On April 9, 2025, PCH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to eliminate its mail-order and magazine businesses. The company reported approximately $40 million in debts to unsecured creditors,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/sweepstakes-company-publishers-clearing-house-goes-bankrupt-2025-04-09/ |title=Sweepstakes company Publishers Clearing House goes bankrupt |first=Dietrich |last=Knauth |date=April 9, 2025 |access-date=April 10, 2025 |website=Reuters}}</ref> total liabilities exceeding $65 million, and less than $12 million in assets.<ref name="AP-BK">{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/publishers-clearing-house-prize-patrol-bankruptcy-650b0069db6e16ba1284ece98e46b4ad |title=Publishers Clearing House, known for its 'Prize Patrol' sweepstakes, files for bankruptcy |first=Wyatte |last=Grantham-Philips |work=Associated Press |date=April 10, 2025 |access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-09/publishers-clearing-house-known-for-big-checks-hits-bankruptcy |title=Publishers Clearing House, Known for Big Checks, Goes Bankrupt |first1=Jonathan |last1=Randles |first2=Steven |last2=Church |work=Bloomberg News |date=April 9, 2025 |access-date=April 10, 2025 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> On June 30, 2025, the online sweepstakes company ARB Interactive received court approval to acquire the assets for $7.1 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/publishers-clearing-house-sells-assets-to-online-casino-operator |title=Publishers Clearing House Sells Assets to Online Casino Operator |first=Jonathan |last=Randles |work=Bloomberg News |date=June 30, 2025 |access-date=September 16, 2025}}</ref> Under the purchase agreement, ARB terminated payments to previous winners of PCH sweepstakes. The company plans to protect future winners through FDIC-insured escrow accounts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/business/publishers-clearing-house-new-ceo |title=Publishers Clearing House's new plan: Future winners will be protected. Past winners still won't get paid |first=Jordan |last=Valinsky |work=CNN |date=September 30, 2025 |access-date=September 30, 2025}}</ref>
== Products == PCH began selling merchandise in 1985 with two products.<ref name="resp" /> After a Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook and a diet cookbook sold more than other products, the company began expanding into jewelry, media, collectibles, household products, and others.<ref name="book" />
thumb|A screenshot of PCHSearch&WIN.com
PCH is a direct-marketing company that sells merchandise and magazine subscriptions and operates several prize-based websites.<ref name="eight" /> While best known for the sweepstakes and Prize Patrol it uses to promote its magazine subscriptions,<ref name="Clifford" /><ref name="five" /><ref name="Levere" /> the majority of the company's revenue is from merchandise.<ref name="eight" /> The company has been selling books, media, jewelry, and other consumer items<ref name="llp" /> since the 1980s.<ref name="book" /> PCH operates eight websites, including PCH Search and Win, PCH Lotto, PCH Games, PCH Save and Win, and Candystand.<ref name="Clifford" /><ref name="eight" />
The company also sells magazine subscriptions at a discount and advertises subscriptions along with its sweepstakes.<ref name="four" /> Industry experts have estimated that companies like PCH keep 75 to 90 percent of the fees from the original subscription, while publishers use the increased distribution to improve circulation numbers and revenue from renewals.<ref name="wsj" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Mail that glitters is not necessarily gold |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2eM0AAAAIBAJ&pg=5762,685538&dq=publishers-clearing-house&hl=en |date=January 17, 1988 |access-date=April 13, 2013 |agency=New York Times Service |first=Michael |last=DeCourcy Hinds |newspaper=Ocala StarBanner}}</ref> PCH popularized the idea of using sweepstakes to sell magazine subscriptions through direct marketing, and became known by detractors as a producer of junk mail for advertising through mass-mailings.<ref name="Saslow" /><ref name="four">{{cite news |last=Rothenberg |first=Randall |title=The Media Business: Advertising; Read This and Win $10 Million!! |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |date=January 31, 1989 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/31/business/the-media-business-advertising-read-this-and-win-10-million.html}}</ref> Documents filed with the New York Department of State in 1993 said that year the company mailed 220 million envelopes. Frequent buyers can receive 30 to 40 mailings a year.<ref name="nine">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/01/28/sweep-dreams-america-think-youve-got-a-shot-at-a-zillion-bucks-publishers-clearing-house-has-your-number/cbeb7b1a-2f12-4ada-9ef8-f0cff9d37197/ |last=Span |first=Paula |title=Sweep Dreams, America! |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 28, 1993 |access-date=September 16, 2025 |pages=C1, C8}}</ref>
By 2024, direct mail and product sales were discontinued.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.startribune.com/fulfillment-distribution-center-publishers-clearing-house-layoffs-job-lose-cut-close/600361404 |title=St. Cloud Warehouse Lays off Hundreds of Workers as Publishers Clearing House Downsizes |newspaper=Minnesota Star Tribune |date=April 24, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pch.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6114/~/what-happened-to-the-mailings-and-merchandise-offers |title=What Happened to the Mailings and Merchandise Offers? |website=Publishers Clearing House |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241106020113/https://pch.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6114/~/what-happened-to-the-mailings-and-merchandise-offers |archive-date=November 6, 2024}}</ref>
== Sweepstakes == thumb|The Prize Patrol delivering an oversized check in 2011 to a sweepstakes winner for $1 million plus $5,000 a week for life
In 1995, PCH began the tradition of announcing winners of its $10 million prize just after the Super Bowl.<ref name="Meier">{{cite news |last=Meier |first=Barry |date=January 27, 1996 |title=You're All Finalist! |newspaper=The New York Times |page=33 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/27/business/you-re-all-finalist.html}}</ref> By the time of its bankruptcy in 2025, the company had distributed more than $500 million in prizes.<ref name="AP-BK" /> Some of its larger prizes have been for $5,000 a week for life,<ref>{{cite news |title=Wish you had won the last PCH SuperPrize? Here's another chance |url=http://contests.about.com/b/2013/07/05/want-to-be-a-millionaire-pchs-sweepstakes-gives-away-a-million-a-year-for-life.htm |first=Sandra |last=Grauschopf |website=About.com |date=July 5, 2013 |archive-date=July 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708165316/http://contests.about.com/b/2013/07/05/want-to-be-a-millionaire-pchs-sweepstakes-gives-away-a-million-a-year-for-life.htm }}</ref> or for $10 million.<ref name="about">{{cite web |last=Grauschopf |first=Sandra |url=http://contests.about.com/od/currentcontestssweeps/p/pch1170m062308.htm |website=About.com |access-date=June 8, 2013 |title=Publishers Clearing House – $10 Million Giveaway Number 1170 EXPIRED |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524102032/http://contests.about.com/od/currentcontestssweeps/p/pch1170m062308.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Prizes can also range from $1 Amazon gift cards to $2,500, $1 million or $3 million.<ref name="primary">{{citation |website=Media FAQ |title=Odds of Winning |url=http://info.pch.com/news-press/media-faq#OddsOfWinning |publisher=Publishers Clearing House |archive-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122042800/http://info.pch.com/news-press/media-faq#OddsOfWinning }}</ref> The larger cash prizes are paid in installments, typically with a balloon payment at 30 years,<ref>{{cite web |title=Rules |url=https://frontpage.pch.com/rules |website=Publishers Clearing House |access-date=July 13, 2017}}</ref> reducing the present value of prizes to much less than their nominal values. In August 2024, "early look" prizes were eliminated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/share/v/mD8iGWXA6P1YG7ny/ |title=An Update from Howie on Today's $100,000 Prize |via=facebook.com |date=August 31, 2024}}</ref>
=== Odds of winning === According to the official rules, as of June 2020, the odds of winning "$5,000 a Week for Life" in Giveaway 16000 are 1 in 6.2 billion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sweepstakes Facts |url=https://rules.pch.com/viewrulesfacts?mailid=2020MayTVPC1CTLREG#facts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428065505/http://rules.pch.com/viewrulesfacts?mailid=2020MayTVPC1CTLREG#facts |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 28, 2020 |website=Publishers Clearing House |access-date=September 6, 2025}}</ref>
=== Prize Patrol === The Prize Patrol surprises sweepstakes winners with oversized checks for $1,000 to $10 million at their homes, workplaces, or other locations, capturing the event on video. Since their introduction in 1989, these videos have been used in widely broadcast television commercials, and, more recently, in the company's online acquisition efforts, websites and social media communications.<ref name="resp" /><ref name="eight" /><ref name="seven" /><ref name="NYTTYN">{{cite news |title=Publishers Clearing House Imagines Handing a Big Check to Gilligan and Mike Brady |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Stuart |last=Elliott |date=May 6, 2013 |access-date=July 19, 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/business/media/publishers-clearing-house-imagines-handing-a-big-check-to-gilligan-and-mike-brady.html}}</ref> In 2013, a $5 million television campaign modified the traditional prize patrol commercial by digitally altering video from classic sitcoms like ''The Brady Bunch'' and ''Gilligan's Island'' to show the prize patrol visiting characters in the show.<ref name="NYTTYN" /> Major winners are never contacted in advance; any letters, telephone calls, and social media messages claiming that a person may have already won a major prize, or claiming that they need to pay a fee to collect the prize, are always scams.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Debbie |last=K. |date=April 5, 2017 |title=Does PCH Contact Major Prize Winners in Advance? |url=https://blog.pch.com/2017/04/05/pch-contact-major-prize-winners-advance/ |access-date=September 24, 2022 |website=PCH Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>
The Prize Patrol has made in-person appearances or delivered prizes on TV programs including ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/million-dollar-moments_1/4 |title=Million-Dollar Moments |website=The Oprah Winfrey Show |date=October 28, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> ''The Price Is Right'',<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Upping The Ante On Plinko! The Price Is Right |medium=Video Clip |publisher=Price Is Right |via=YouTube |date=April 9, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-ybcsVv9Cc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/V-ybcsVv9Cc |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Maloni |first=J |url=https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2012/04/09/106064/full-week-of-plinko-chance-to-win-100k-when-pch-prize-patrol-visits-the-price-is-right |title=Full week of Plinko, chance to win 100K when PCH Prize Patrol visits The Price is Right |publisher=Niagara Frontier Publications |date=April 9, 2012 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> and ''Let's Make a Deal''. Their surprise winning moments have been spoofed by Jay Leno,<ref>{{cite AV media |title=PCH On TV Jay Leno Spoofs the PCH Prize Patrol |medium=Video Clip |publisher=PCHarchive |via=YouTube |date=January 24, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nE8V7Q3QzI}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> Conan O'Brien,<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Conan O'Brien Promo with Jane |medium=Video Clip |via=YouTube |date=January 29, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxHq8A15jqU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GxHq8A15jqU |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the cast of ''Saturday Night Live'';<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Saturday Night Live Publishers Clearing House Giveaway |medium=Video Clip |website=Hulu |url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/277757 }}</ref> woven into the plots of movies such as ''Let's Go to Prison'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Let's go to Prison! Review |first=Brian |last=Marder |date=November 24, 2006 |archive-date=December 18, 2014 |url=http://www.hollywood.com/movies/review/3589538/let-s-go-to-prison-review?page=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218092225/https://www.hollywood.com/movies/review/3589538/let-s-go-to-prison-review?page=all |website=Hollywood.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |title=Let's Go To Prison Trailer |medium=Video Clip |via=YouTube |date=October 23, 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7pNiELcZsg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/w7pNiELcZsg |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live }}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''The Sentinel'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/The-Sentinel-322367.html |title=The Sentinel |access-date=July 31, 2012 }}</ref> and ''Knight and Day'';<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Joseph |url=http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/545445/Movie-Review---Knight-and-Day-.html |title=Movie Review Knight and Day |newspaper=Williamsport Sun Gazette |date=July 1, 2010 |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ivers |first=Patrick |url=http://www.lariat.org/AtTheMovies/nora/nitenday.html |title=Laramie Movie Scope Knight and Day |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202300/http://www.lariat.org/AtTheMovies/nora/nitenday.html |url-status=usurped |access-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> and the TV series ''Early Edition''. They have been the subject of cartoons.<ref name="book" />
=== Spokespeople === In the fall of 2017, Wayne Brady became a spokesperson for Publishers Clearing House in television and online advertising. In the summer of 2019, Steve Harvey made his debut in TV commercials and online advertising. In the spring of 2020, Terry Bradshaw was spokesperson and in the summer of 2020, Marie Osmond became a spokesperson. In the fall of 2020, Brad Paisley was featured as TV spokesperson for the company. In 2021, Terry Bradshaw returned in new commercials, and in late 2022 Steve Harvey came back for what would be the final Publishers Clearing House television advertising campaign in September 2022. Beginning in 2023, Publishers Clearing House ended their 50-year history of television advertising.
== Charitable giving == Prior to the 2025 bankruptcy filing and acquisition of assets by ARB, previous owners of Publishers Clearing House claimed that "Through charitable trusts created by our founders, more than 40% of the company profits benefit community organizations."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://info.pch.com/ownership-and-charitable-trusts/ |title=Charitable Trusts and Giving Back to the Community |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Publishers Clearing House |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221031643/https://info.pch.com/ownership-and-charitable-trusts/ |archive-date=February 21, 2024 }}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|left=yes|Companies|New York (state)}} * List of New York companies
== References == {{Reflist}} <!--* "Miller Asks Court to Order Publishers Clearing House to Cooperate with Investigation or Stop Operation in Iowa". Iowa Attorney General (press release; January 28, 2000). Retrieved February 5, 2008. * "Spitzer announces landmark settlement with Publishers Clearing House." New York Attorney General (press release) (August 22, 2000). Retrieved February 2, 2008. * "Wisconsin's Case against Publishers Clearing House." Wisconsin Dept. of Justice (June 26, 2001). Retrieved February 2, 2008. * "Texas, 25 States Reach Settlement with Sweepstakes Giant". Texas Attorney General (June 26, 2001). Retrieved February 2, 2008. * "Official Rules." Publishers Clearing House website. Retrieved August 29, 2010. -->
==Further reading== * {{cite news |last=Denison |first=D.C. |date=January 19, 1982 |title=Money, Honey: Inside Publishers Clearing House |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1982-01-19_11_3/page/n31/mode/1up |work=The Boston Phoenix |access-date=July 7, 2024 }}
== External links == * {{Official website}}
{{Authority control}} Category:Companies based in Nassau County, New York Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025 Category:Direct marketing Category:Metasearch engines Category:Port Washington North, New York Category:Jericho, New York Category:Privately held companies based in New York (state) Category:Marketing companies established in 1953 Category:1953 establishments in New York (state)