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.
CDS Global and Zeddit have announced a strategic technology partnership in the UK and Australia to provide advanced subscriber conversion capabilities for print magazine publishers.
Walstead, one of Europe’s leading independent printing businesses, has expanded its senior management team with the appointment of Andy Berg to the new role of Group Managing Director for its digital businesses which provide content, pre-media, digit
Time Inc UK is creating a single content and affiliate team to provide round the clock deals coverage for Black Friday.
Bauer Media has appointed John Mulvey as Editor of its monthly music magazine, Mojo.
A study of luxury ads released over the last two years by The Luxury Institute and emotion measurement firm Realeyes has revealed the four key ingredients to successful luxury brand advertising – and highlights which ads were the best.
Bauer Media Group has recently selected Sprylab technologies to be its global, interactive e-publishing platform provider of choice for the migration of its international portfolio of interactive editions.
The latest Digital Publishers Revenue Index (DPRI), a quarterly report on UK publishing from the Association for Online Publishing and Deloitte, highlights strong video, subscription and sponsorship revenue growth; indicating a more diverse path for
The first dig has been made into the global distribution company’s future premises at Hatfield Business Park where it will join other businesses such as Ocado, F&F and EE in the summer of 2018.
Jamie Jouning has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer of Condé Nast International, a new position, it was announced today by Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman and Chief Executive of the organisation.
Yoox Net-A-Porter Group yesterday announced the appointment of Sarah Bailey as Executive Brand Editor of Porter Magazine, the bi-monthly women’s fashion magazine published by Net-A-Porter.
Fashion and beauty brand Look yesterday revealed the winners of its first beauty awards, celebrating the best in beauty.
The company behind some of the UK’s best loved classic car shows, Cheshire Auto Promotions, has announced that after two years of working with events organiser Mortons Media Group, it has sold its business to the Lincolnshire based firm.
DC Thomson Media extends its Group partnership with Air Business, transferring the overseas mailing of This England Publishing’s titles to the global distribution and subscriptions partner.
Hearst UK has announced the appointment of Gaby Huddart as Acting Group Editorial Director.
DCT Media has launched Little Baby Bum Activity Magazine, which it says, comes “packed full of games, colouring, songs, puzzles and over 400 stickers”.
