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.
ABC has implemented a new governance structure, with the first meeting of the ABC Board. The new system replaces the old Council structure and follows formal ratification by the Council and at ABC’s Annual General Meeting in December.
Company magazine, published by the National Magazine Company, has launched its dedicated bi-annual standalone style magazine, the High-Street Edit.
CDS Global has announced the promotion of Lynne Ward to the newly created role of managing director for Australia.
.net, the web design magazine, celebrates its 200th issue at the forefront of digital innovation by heading back to the 1950s with a retro 3D cover and free glasses.
CDS Global has announced Mark Philby as its permanent finance director for CDS Global Europe and Australia, effective immediately.
The winners of the Jameson Empire Awards 2010 will be revealed at a high profile ceremony on Sunday, March 28 at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, hosted for the second year running by award-winning Irish comedian and television presenter Dara O Briain
Factory Media, one of Europe’s leading extreme sports media owner, has announced the acquisition of MotoX magazine.
Centaur Media has announced its results for the six months ended 31 December 2009.
Green Monday, a corporate sustainability event, is partnering with the Haymarket environmental publisher ENDS to expand nationwide.
SFX, one of Europe’s bestselling sci-fi and fantasy magazines, is celebrating the imminent return of Doctor Who to Saturday night BBC One with a stunning, highly collectable 3D cover.
Future, the special-interest media group and one of the world’s leading provider of cycling content, has partnered with Colnago, the iconic Italian bicycle manufacturer, to reinvigorate its brand and mastermind a new marketing campaign for 2010 and b
Comic Heroes, the latest magazine from Future – the special-interest media group, hits UK newsstands on Tuesday 16th March.
The Specialist Media Show has announced the latest winner of its Media Pioneer awards – Time Out Live.
The Specialist Media Show has announced the latest winner of its Media Pioneer awards – Rock Sound.
Titan Publishing has launched a new monthly comic for boys aged 6 to 12, called Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
