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.
Imagine Publishing has announced the appointment of Ryan King as new Editor of Play, the independent PlayStation magazine. Arriving from rival Future, King’s first issue is the landmark 200th issue.
Multi-platform music media brand, NME, has announced Shockwaves as headline sponsor of the NME Awards for the seventh consecutive year.
Christmas is coming early to young people in a Johannesburg township, who get 26 brand new bikes and accessories from Informa Plc and Halfords to help them learn new skills to set them up in later life.
UPM-Kymmene Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Myllykoski Corporation and Rhein Papier GmbH. The approximate enterprise value of the businesses acquired is EUR 900 million.
Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director of Condé Nast, has announced Kate Reardon as the new Editor of Tatler. Kate will take up her role in January.
Lucie Cave is to step up as Acting Editor of celebrity weekly heat from January 2011.
As it did last year, The Printing Charity has made a one-off, cold weather payment of £50 to the almost 300 people it supports with regular financial assistance.
The next in the “It’s…” series of magazines, from Signature Publishing, goes on sale on 28th December.
Groundbreaking research from the PPA has reinforced the importance of Christmas in driving magazine subscriptions.
Haymarket Brand Media has appointed Noelle McElhatton as editor of Marketing. She takes over from Gareth Jones, who leaves this month to join the digital agency Lbi.
IPC Inspire has unveiled MAGs: the first findings from a major new study into the attitudes and behaviours of the UK’s pre-responsibility young men.
Future of Publishing is a new content hub from PPA Marketing that brings together 20 key figures from magazine publishing to explore how the sector is changing. Barry McIlheney, Chief Executive of the PPA, explains more about the project.
Wired magazine’s January 2011 issue, available on newsstand now, has an eye-catching metallic cover, made possible through the use of Mirri silver material.
Build Up DB5, a new weekly partwork from GE Fabbri, goes on sale 5 January.
The National Magazine Company, Hearst Corporation's principal business in the UK, is delighted to announce the appointment of Aida Muirhead as Research and Insight Director.
