Media24 acquires topcar, topbike and topdeals

The deal follows hot on the heels of Media24's recent announcement that in terms of a licence agreement with UK based Emap plc., it will publish Max Power from August this year. Max Power enjoys 47% of the UK car conversion market and sells 118 000 copies a month.

Media24 family magazines' publisher John Relihan says the exciting initiative will involve revamping and repositioning the three titles. Via the Emap relationship, the company will tap into the UK expertise for exclusive images and content relevant to the local market. "We will select the best of British motoring journalism from Emap to add to the exciting content we will offer local readers.

"The automotive sector is currently particularly vibrant with sales records being broken almost monthly. The demand from readers, who are purchasing new and used vehicles and motor cycles, for in-depth yet entertaining automotive content is at an all-time high", Relihan adds.

Well-established brands

topbike and topdeals will be enhanced under the Media24 stewardship, with the objective of becoming market leaders.

In acquiring the titles, Relihan says Media24 has secured well-established brands with recognised brand equity, which was more effective than launching new titles. These titles will also complement Max Power.

"The motoring segment was the obvious gap in our portfolio of magazines, particularly given the growth in passenger vehicle demand. We will be looking to grow both the advertising spend and the circulation via the revamped offering," Relihan comments.

Strategic alliances

Kemsley & Schoeman Publications CEO Doug Kemsley explains that the three titles are trend-setters in their respective sectors with loyal readerships. While the publishing company had been fiercely independent during its 14-year history, the market dynamics suggested the time was right to seek strategic alliances for sustained growth and development into the future.

"Media24 has a proven track record, meaning that if market leadership is the eventual objective, there can be no better company to drive the next phase of the titles' development," he said.

According to Emap international licensing manager Mark Wilson, the company welcomes the opportunity to work closely with Media24 and to support the group on the topcar and topbike relaunches. "The growing wealth of southern Africa is the ideal market in which to bring the high quality global content and respected opinion from the UK Car magazine into the topcar offering," he said.

Broader range of content

Wilson believes Bike magazine, as the UK's number one motorcycle title, will provide topbike with a broader range of content and more personality.

The automotive titles will be under the leadership of Relihan and, together with Weg and go!, will form the foundation of a new travel and motoring division within Media24.