What are some of the largest magazine media companies expecting from 2014 in the world of magazine media? What are Active Media Interest, American Media, Inc., Cond� Nast, Dennis Publishing, Hearst Magazines, Heinrich Bauer USA, Meredith Corp., Rodale Inc., The Taunton Press and Time Inc. up to in 2014?
Well, for this installment of "The 2014 Great Expectations" the CEOs and presidents of the aforementioned magazine media companies offer their expectations regarding new magazine media launches in 2014.
The magazine media moguls are, in alphabetical order, Hubert Boehle, CEO, President, Heinrich Bauer USA, LLC, David Carey,President, Hearst Magazines, Steven Kotok, CEO, Dennis Publishing, USA, Steve Lacy, CEO, Meredith Corp., David Pecker, CEO, American Media Inc., Tim Rahr, President, The Taunton Press, Joe Ripp, CEO, Time Inc., Scott Schulman, President, Rodale Inc., Bob Sauerberg, President, Cond� Nast, and Efrem (Skip) Zimbalist III, Chairman and CEO, Active Interest Media.
Now for their new magazine media launches' expectations for 2014:
Hubert Boehle: In 2013, we launched three magazines. Closer, which I just found out is already the 15th top selling magazine in Walmart. Celebrate with Woman's World which sold an estimated 200,000 copies of its first issue, all at full retail price, a fabulous result. Finally Girls' World which opens up a new category for us. So 2013 was an exciting year for us and we are not planning on slowing down in 2014. Two more magazines are pretty much ready for launch and we are beginning work on a third one.
David Carey: There's plenty of white space for introducing new products, which we are committed to doing every two years. In just a few weeks, we're debuting Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, following on the success of Food Network Magazine, now the No. 2 best selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, and HGTV Magazine, which achieved profitability and a circulation of more than one million in just 18 months. And we have plenty of ideas in the pipeline for what will come next.
Steven Kotok: More activity from smaller companies in enthusiast space and little from the largest publishers.
Steve Lacy: We're very excited about Allrecipes magazine, which we launched in November. Advertiser and consumer response has been strong, and we're proud it was named Launch of the Year by MIN. Its part on a larger effort to expand the Allrecipes brand across multiple platforms. Look for expanded Allrecipes video segments on The Better Show in 2014.
David Pecker: Launching a new stand-alone print publication will become more and more costly and difficult - digital editions will be perceived as a better way to go, even with established brands looking to develop publications.
Tim Rahr: Digital allows us to serve and grow our enthusiast customer base in a really nimble and agile way. Our new product efforts for the year will be focused on digital.
Joe Ripp: Last fall, we launched the Time Inc. video network. In 2014, we're going to be ramping up our production of compelling and original video programming from our new studio space. We'll also continue to introduce new ad products that benefit from our enormous scale and our unparalleled data and insights.
Scott Schulman: We have several international launches planned for 2014, both in new markets like the Middle East, first with Women's Health in March, and new titles in current markets like Sweden, India and Portugal. We already reach 75 million people around the world with 95 international editions across 60 countries, and our brands and content are particularly well suited for a global audience. There is huge international interest in health and wellness, so we're moving to extend our leadership as the global voice for healthy living.
Bob Sauerberg: Last year, we launched the CNE digital video network. It has performed far beyond our expectations. We will roll out another six brand channels this year which will bring the total number to 13 by year's end. Our focus is not on building and launching new brands, but instead organically growing and expanding the incredible brands we already have. It's a bigger, better and more consistent ROI for us.
Skip Zimbalist: We have a number of new launches along the full spectrum of magazine media, events and video production. Our recent acquisition of Warren Miller Films gives us a new leg to the stool that we are rolling out among each of our five groups.
Overall, we expect revenues to up over 17% in 2014, after a 9% increase to a new record in 2013.
Stay tuned for the next installment when the CEOs and presidents of the top magazine media companies reveal their expectations regarding circulation and distribution of magazine media in 2014.
�Samir "Mr. Magazine™" Husni, 2014
"The Industry that Vents Together Stays Together"