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.
Cross-industry campaign launched supporting the National Year of Reading 2026, delivering 60,000 magazines through community partners and a UK wide school giveaway - putting reading directly into children’s hands from food banks to classrooms.
Excellence in news podcast journalism was honoured this month at the Society of Editors’ inaugural News Podcast Awards 2026.
Esquire UK and Harper’s Bazaar UK partner with Range Rover, the official partner of The Championships, Wimbledon, on a multi-platform campaign celebrating the intersection of style and sport.
Chris Ferrari-Wills has joined Suffolk-based printer Micropress as national sales manager.
Creatures of Habit: Good Food Nation survey reveals how rising costs is pushing Britain into a food rut - and why meal planning could be the answer.
Radio Times, a UK entertainment brand, has launched its first major above-the-line campaign focused on changing perceptions of the brand in nearly two decades, with a TV Ad that will run on ITVX for the next six weeks.
A strategic divestment of consumer media portfolio enables Springer Nature to focus on its core business.
Six creators have been selected across entertainment, history, politics, finance and drama for three-month programme offering investment, mentorship and access to Goalhanger’s senior creative and commercial teams.
Time Out Group signs franchise agreement to bring Time Out Market to Brazil.
The media house is increasing its headquarters space around The Lantern in Euston, and creating a London Campus with new space at nearby Maple House, Tottenham Court Road.
Good Food, a UK food media brand, has announced the nine category winners of the inaugural Good Food SME Awards.
The PPA Awards 2026 were held in London this week with individual, team and business award winners announced.
TRKKN and adnomaly partner to automate campaign QA and stop costly media buying errors.
Air Business Subscriptions has announced a key leadership transition supporting the company’s evolution and growth strategy.
Readly, has announced the launch of a World Cup Retro Series from The Evening Standard, covering reports from the last 75 years of World Cup history.
