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Future plc

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British publishing company
"MusicRadar" redirects here. For the online search service, see Doreso.
Future plc
Company typePublic
Industrymagazine and internet publishing
Founded1985; 40 years ago (1985)
FounderChris Anderson
HeadquartersBath, Somerset, England
Key people
RevenueDecrease £788.2 million (2024)[1]
Decrease 133ドル.7 million (2024)[1]
Decrease 76ドル.8 million (2024)[1]
Number of employees
2,972 (2024)[1]
Subsidiaries
Websitefutureplc.com Edit this at Wikidata
Chris Anderson in 2007
Company office in Bath

Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson.

Among its titles are PC Gamer , SFX , TechRadar , Country Life , Homes and Gardens , Kiplinger Personal Finance , Decanter , Marie Claire , and The Week . Zillah Byng-Thorne was chief executive officer from 2014 to 2023, when she was replaced by Jon Steinberg.

History

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1985–2012

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The company was founded by Chris Anderson as Future Publishing in Somerton, Somerset, England, with the sole magazine Amstrad Action in 1985.[2] An early innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers.[2] It acquired GP Publications and established what would become Future US in 1994.[3]

Anderson sold the company to Pearson plc for 52ドル.7m in 1994, but bought it back in 1998, for 142ドル million.[2] The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1999.[4] Anderson left the company in 2001.[5]

In 2004, the company was accused of corruption when it published positive reviews for the video game Driver 3 in two of its owned magazines, Xbox World and PSM2 .[6]

2012–2015

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Future published the official magazines for the consoles of all three major games console manufacturers (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony); however PlayStation: The Official Magazine ceased publishing in November 2012, and Official Nintendo Magazine ceased publishing in October 2014.[7] [8]

The chief executive and finance director both resigned at short notice after a profit warning in October 2011. It was noted that a re-structuring would be necessary as the company moved to a digital model.[9]

Future announced it would cut 55 jobs from its UK operation as part of a restructuring to adapt "more effectively to the company's rapid transition to a primarily digital business model."[10] The company announced in March 2014 that it would close all of its U.S.-based print publications and shift U.S. print support functions such as consumer marketing, production and editorial leadership for Future's international print brands to the UK.[11] Later in 2014, Future sold its sport and craft titles to Immediate Media, and its auto titles to Kelsey Media.[12]

In April 2014, Zillah Byng-Thorne (then finance director_, was appointed chief executive to replace Mark Wood, who had been in the position since 2011.[11]

2016–2021

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In 2018, Future made further major acquisitions. It bought the What Hi-Fi? , FourFourTwo, Practical Caravan, and Practical Motorhome brands from Haymarket; and it acquired NewBay Media, publisher of numerous broadcast, professional-video, and systems-integration trade titles, as well as several consumer music magazines.[13] This acquisition returned most of the U.S. consumer music magazines to Future, with the exception of Revolver which had been sold to Project M Group in 2017.[14]

It bought the Purch Group for 132ドルm by September 2018,[15] [16] and in February 2019 bought Mobile Nations including the titles Android Central, iMore, Windows Central and Thrifter for 115ドル million.[17] [18] Future also acquired Procycling and Cyclingnews.com from Immediate Media.[19] In July 2019 the company bought SmartBrief, a digital media publisher, for an initial sum of 45ドル million.[20]

In November 2019, the company bought Barcroft Studios for 23ドル.5 million in a combination of cash and shares.[21] It renamed it Future Studios and announced the launch of "Future Originals", an anthology gaming series, a "factual" series focusing on the paranormal, and a new true-crime show, in partnership with Marie Claire .[22]

In April 2020, it acquired TI Media with 41 brands for 140ドル million.[23] In November, it agreed to a 594ドルm takeover of GoCo plc, known for its Gocompare.com price-comparison website.[24] In August 2021, it acquired Dennis Publishing and its 12 magazines, for 300ドル million.[25]

2022–present

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The company was criticised in February 2022 for the size of the remuneration package being offered to Zillah Byng-Thorne, the chief executive. It was noted that she could receive 40ドル million if the company performed well.[26]

Byng-Thorne resigned with effect from 3 April 2023 and was replaced as chief executive by Jon Steinberg.[27]

In April 2023, the company sold its shooting magazines including Shooting Times and Sporting Gun to Fieldsports Press.[28]

In August 2024, the company announced that its American trade papers Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News [29] would be closing after more than 90 years, with the main title Broadcasting having been first published in 1931 and the merged title Multichannel News dating from 1980.[30] In October 2024, the company closed a number of consumer titles in the United Kingdom, including Play , All About Space , Total 911 , and 3D World , with the monthly movie magazine Total Film [31] [32] ceasing publication after 27 years.[33]

Organisation

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In addition to media and magazines, the company has two other businesses:

  • Future Studios is its video division, built upon the acquisition of Barcroft Media in 2019.[34]
  • Marketforce is its sales, marketing, and distribution company, acquired as part of a 2019 deal with TI Media.[35]

Brands

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Future's portfolio of brands includes TechRadar , PC Gamer , Tom's Guide , Tom's Hardware , Marie Claire , GamesRadar+ , How it Works, Creative Bloq, CinemaBlend, Android Central, IT Pro, BikePerfect, Truly, Windows Central, Chat , and the website GoodToKnow.co.uk.[36] [37] [38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Annual Report 2024" (PDF). Future plc. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Nicholas, Ruth (11 July 1999). "Profile: Chris Anderson: Media with passion". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013.
  3. ^ Cox, Howard; Mowatt, Simon (2014). Revolutions from Grub Street: A History of Magazine Publishing in Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0199601639. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Can new Future CEO end 15 years of boom & bust?". Flashes and Flames. 6 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  5. ^ Walters, Helen (18 February 2010). "TED's Not Dead, But It Is Aging: The annual conference tries to reach out to a new generation, awkwardly". Business Week . Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  6. ^ Lui, Spandas (30 March 2010). "A history of gaming's biggest scandals". PC World. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ Santos, Alexis (7 November 2012). "PlayStation: The Official Magazine being shuttered, will say farewell with holiday issue". Engadget (Joystiq). Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  8. ^ Simberg, Nick (28 November 2009). "Another blow to print journalism: Future Publishing profits fall 61%". Gamer Limit. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Future CEO and FD resign, names replacements". Reuters. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ^ Sweney, Mark (3 September 2013). "Future Publishing to cut 55 jobs". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  11. ^ a b Future US streamlined to focus on digital Archived 8 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, RNS Number : 3903D, Future PLC, 28 March 2014
  12. ^ Sweney, Mark (21 November 2014). "Future Publishing cuts more than 400 jobs as part of restructure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  13. ^ Butts, Tom (4 April 2018). "Future Publishing Acquires US Content Business NewBay Media". TV Technology. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Revolver Magazine Sold to Digital Media Company Project M Group; Brand Relaunch Planned for This Fall". Blabbermouth.net . 1 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Purch sells B2C imprints to global specialist media publisher Future in 132ドルm deal". The Drum. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Future buys Purch to boost US revenue". Digiday . 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Future : Acquisition of Mobile Nations". MarketScreener. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Accelerates Mobile Nations earnout payment". otp.investis.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Back to Future: Immediate sells CyclingNews and Procycling to Future plc, their previous owner". Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Acquisition of SmartBrief". otp.investis.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Barcroft Studios bought by Future plc for 23ドル.5m". Televisual. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  22. ^ "True Crime Series 'On the Record with Marie Claire' at Future Studios". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Proposed Acquisition of TI Media for 140ドル million". otp.investis.com. 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  24. ^ Sweney, Mark (25 November 2020). "Country Life publisher Future to buy GoCompare for 594ドルm". The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Country Life owner buys Dennis Publishing in 300ドルm deal". The Guardian. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Country Life publisher reeling after shareholder revolt over executive pay". The Guardian . 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  27. ^ Spangler, Todd (22 February 2023). "Jon Steinberg, Former BuzzFeed and Cheddar Exec, Tapped as CEO of U.K. Publisher Future". Variety . Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  28. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (13 April 2023). "Fieldsports Press acquires Future's shooting brands". Press Gazette. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  29. ^ "A Wave of Trade Magazine Closures". VideoAge International . Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  30. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (7 August 2024). "Future closes two US TV trade publications". Press Gazette.
  31. ^ Maytum, Matt (22 May 2023). "Enter the arena with the Gladiator II issue of Total Film – on sale now!". gamesradar.
  32. ^ "Future closes titles and events deemed 'low to no growth assets'". Press Gazette. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  33. ^ Brew, Simon (4 October 2024). "Total Film and more | Future Publishing statement on closing magazines". Film Stories.
  34. ^ "Barcroft Studios bought by Future plc for 23ドル.5m". Televisual. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Why Future is buying TI Media". Flashes & Flames. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  36. ^ "Future Celebrates Market Leading Position As Largest Tech News Publisher". GlobeNewswire (Press release). 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  37. ^ Partis, Danielle (15 September 2022). "Future makes editorial layoffs despite 'high' revenue projections". GamesIndustry . Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  38. ^ "UK's Future Plc to buy The Week publisher for 415ドル mln". Reuters . 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
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