RESEARCH INTO EXISTING

COMPANIES

IPC Media◦ IPC media (formerly known as International Publishing Cooperation) is a Time Warner

company which owns ‘more than 60 iconic media brands, creating content for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events.’

◦ As the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher they engage with 26m UK adults - almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men. Their award winning portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million users globally every month.

◦ They have 3 publishing divisions: IPC Connect, IPC Inspire and IPC Southbank.◦ IPC Connect is IPC Media's mass market women's division with a range of brands read by

9.4 million mass market women, which equates to 49% of all mass market women. IPC Connect serves its consumers in the following key sectors: celebrity and fashion, lifestyle, traditional, TV and entertainment, real life and casual gaming.

◦ IPC Inspire is IPC's men's division. It contains 38 brands, from Country Life and The Field to Nuts and NME.

◦ IPC Southbank is the upmarket women's division, focusing on the three key markets of Fashion, Women's Lifestyle and Home Interest.

History◦The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in

1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine publishers - George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications - who came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC). Traditional competitors found themselves all working for the same company.

◦ IPC Magazines was created five years later, in 1968. ◦ In 2000, IPC Magazines was renamed IPC Media, a new

identity to go with a strategy based on being a brand-focused business.

◦ In January 2010, IPC Media restructured around three key audience groups: men, mass-market women and up-market women.

Publications:◦NME: The New Musical Express is the longest published music weekly in the world, first published in March 1952 and now spans across various platforms such as NME.com, NME Video and the brand's live events and awards. As a part of IPC Inspire, it has a more masculine feel, and is targeted at a younger (16-30) generation of people interested in rock/indie music. It contains coverage of new music, interviews, reviews and releases, as well as reflecting upon its 60 year heritage. ◦Marie Claire:Part of IPC’s Southbank division, so appeals to ‘upmarket’ women who are seen to be affluent with an interest in their appearance alongside their career. It contains features on fashion and beauty as well as celebrity stories and other areas of these women’s lifestyles. It is a monthly magazine, first issued in 1937 in France under Groupe Marie Claire and is distributed in 24 languages.

Future PLC◦ About Future PLC- ‘Future is an award-winning international media group and leading digital business. We reach more than 51 million international consumers a month and create world-class content and advertising solutions for passionate consumers online, on tablet & smartphone and in print.◦We hold leading positions in Technology, Games, Film, Music, Women’s Creative,

Photography, Creative & Design, Sport and Auto.’◦ Last year, PLC sold more than 24 million magazines - 45 magazines every minute.

Their most well-known brands include T3, Total Film, Cycling Plus, Mollie Makes and Official Xbox Magazine. Future also exports or syndicates over 200 publications to 89 countries, making them the UK’s number one exporter and licenser of magazine content.

◦ Future is AOP and PPA Digital Publisher of the Year and BMA Media Company of the Year.

History◦Future PLC was founded in 1985 as a UK company with just one magazine,

now it ‘specialises in high-quality multi-media products, creating over 200 specialist publications, apps, websites and events’.

◦The company started when Chris Anderson founded Future Publishing with a £10,000 bank loan. The Bath-based company’s first magazine, Amstrad Action, was launched with 100 pages and a print run of 40,000 copies.

◦Future have come a long way since then - today, their portfolios contain magazines catering for technology, computing, games, film, music, women’s creative, photography, creative & design, sport and auto.

◦Future employs 1,200 people in offices in London, Bath, San Francisco and Sydney, and continues to transition towards becoming a predominantly digital business.

Publications◦Guitarist:Guitarist is Europe’s longest running guitar magazine, who’s slogan and mission-statement is "The Guitar Player's Bible”. It describes itself as ‘the magazine for guitar aficionados, offering the world’s most authoritative guitar, amplifier and effects reviews, interviews with the biggest names in the industry and techniques lessons, tips and tricks plus exclusive audio and video content available for download.’ Its targeted at an older, males readership with guitar experience and interest.◦ Total Film:The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers cinema, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features. It is published every 4 weeks and aimed at a young audience interested in the latest films. It is available on many platforms; Totalfilm.com has seen a traffic uplift to 2.5 million global users a month – an increase of over 107% every year. Total Film launched its fully interactive iPad edition in May 2012.