Consumer magazines spent most of the past two decades managing decline. The more confident publishers have stopped doing that. Newsstand sales and print advertising are still shrinking, but well-made titles with loyal readers are raising cover prices and growing.
Scale matters less than it did. Bauer has made Grazia a more premium product and charged more for it, while independents such as Anthem have put print back at the centre of the business and grown their export sales. Stylist has changed format several times without losing its readers. Others have gone the other way, and Gay Times dropped print entirely to build a global audience online.
For most consumer publishers, print is our USP. It’s the anchor that makes advertisers trust us and the very thing that readers want from us.
Jon Bickley Our print strategy: Anthem
Behind the confidence sits some hard arithmetic. Newstrade is now a small share of revenue and events and ecommerce are growing from a low base. Trust has become a selling point as AI fills the web with content of uncertain origin, but the paid-for consumer model that works at scale is still being worked out.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on consumer magazines, from premium print and cover pricing to brand extensions, membership and the future of specialist titles, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
For a while now, magazine publishers have been on the defensive, unsure about the viability of their traditional business model in a fast-changing world. Katie Vanneck-Smith wants to change all that.
We asked Tamar Riley, portfolio managing director at Immediate, what does best practice publishing look like in consumer media? This is what she said…
For premium titles like Grazia, Mojo and Empire, growth is increasingly coming not from extending reach but from deepening engagement with existing passionate audiences, as Lauren Holleyoake tells Ciar Byrne.
The printed magazine will be a cherished part of people’s lives for years to come, says Jon Bickley, co-founder and CEO. That is why it’s the key component in Anthem’s publishing strategy.
With the arrival of AI and the widespread availability of unattributable content, specialist publishers need to ensure that their titles are the trusted go-to brands in their sectors, Our Media’s Andy Marshall tells Ciar Byrne.
Stylist’s mission has been clear from day one: to engage with its female audience in an intelligent, positive and non-exploitative way. 16 years on, and current PPA Media Brand of the Year, they are staying true to those values, says Lisa Smosarski.
Gay Times was stuck in a rut, tied to its traditional publishing model and reaching only a small part of the LGBTQ+ community. Under the editorship of Lewis Corner, that began to change, as he explains to Ciar Byrne.
Whatever the rest of 2024 holds, two things are certain. Firstly, the bumpy economic ride will continue. Secondly, the need for media companies to have a broad base of revenue streams has never been more important or more challenging to achieve.
How do you create a specialist consumer media business that is fit for the future? What steps do you need to take to be resilient and flexible as audiences and technology evolve? Carolyn Morgan researched 20 innovators from across Europe to find out.
For many publishers, circulation is all about chasing volume, but they would be much better off chasing profitability, says Natalie Smith, client relationship manager at Warners.
Menzies Distribution has, says the NFRN, landed a body blow to its members by announcing an average increase to carriage charges of 2.7 per cent and rises of 1.5 per cent for Northern Ireland and 1.9 per cent for the Republic of Ireland.
Epiris yesterday announced that Epiris Fund II, advised by Epiris LLP, has agreed to acquire Time Inc. UK, one of the UK’s largest consumer magazines and digital publishers, from Meredith Corporation. Financial terms of the transaction are not being
Hattie Brett has been appointed Editor of Grazia UK where she will be responsible for leading the editorial team as well as forging relationships with commercial partners.
Alice Casely-Hayford has been appointed Digital Editor of British Vogue it was announced yesterday by Edward Enninful, Editor-in-Chief.
Shortlist Media yesterday announced the appointment of Seb Randle to the newly created role of regional sales director across all its brands, including ShortList, Stylist, Emerald Street and Mr Hyde.
Diamond Publishing, the consumer division of Metropolis International Group, has appointed Paul Lester as editor of Record Collector.
Bauer Media this week announced Rakuten TV, the video-on-demand service, as the exclusive headline sponsor of its annual Empire Awards ceremony taking place in London’s Roundhouse on 18 March 2018.
Delightful Media has announced the launch of Caffeine Culture, a new social content channel on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
James Evelegh's editorial from this week's edition of InPubWeekly.
Dailymotion, a leading destination for video discovery and exploration, has announced a syndication partnership with Haymarket’s football magazine brand, FourFourTwo.
Media 10 has announced the appointment of Yvonne Ramsden to take over from Justin Levett as Publishing Director of Media 10’s portfolio.
Bauer Media’s Empire magazine is to publish five iconic covers as acclaimed film director, Steven Spielberg takes over for this month’s issue.
Today, independent retailers from all over the UK and Ireland will be enlisting the support of MPs and ministers to champion the importance of their sector.
Bauer Media Group has acquired one of the UK’s largest fishing shows, The Big One.
Canvasflow has released its official integration with Sprylab’s Purple DS – a leading digital publishing solution.
