Australian Consolidated Press

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Australian Consolidated Press
Parent company Mercury Capital
Predecessor Sydney Newspapers
Australian Associated Newspapers
Founded1936
Founder Frank Packer
Country of originAustralia
Headquarters location Park Street, Sydney
Publication typesMagazines, books
Official website www.aremedia.com.au
Former ACP logo ACP Magazines logo.png
Former ACP logo

Are Media (formerly Bauer Media Australia, ACP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press) is an Australian media company. Founded by Frank Packer and later becoming part of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, it is owned by Mercury Capital.

Contents

History

Australian Consolidated Press

Consolidated Press was formed in 1936, combining ownership of The Daily Telegraph and Frank Packer's Australian Women's Weekly . It was renamed Australian Consolidated Press (ACP) in 1957, and acquired The Bulletin in 1960. [1]

The Daily Telegraph was sold to News Limited in 1972; the same year ACP founded Cleo and took over Publishers Holdings (including Australian House & Garden, Wheels , and others). [2] [3] Two years later, Frank Packer died, and his son Kerry took over the company.

In 1988, ACP acquired John Fairfax's magazines (including Woman's Day , People , Dolly , and Good Housekeeping ).

In 1994, ACP merged with the Nine Network to form Publishing and Broadcasting Limited. In 2000, Australian Consolidated Press was rebranded ACP Magazines. [4]

In 1999, PBL acquired Crown Limited, and in 2002, it combined ACP and Nine into a new division, PBL Media. CVC Capital Partners acquired PBL Media in 2007.

In 2011, ACP sold its magazines in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to Singapore Press Holdings. [5]

Bauer Media Australia and New Zealand

In September 2012, Nine Entertainment Co announced that it had agreed to sell ACP Magazines to the German multinational publishing company Bauer Media for an estimated A$500 million, with the sale completed on 1 October 2012. [6] [7] [8] ACP was rebranded as Bauer Media Australia. [4]

The publisher had many tie-ins with other Nine Entertainment Co. companies, such as Nine Network programs ( Burke's Backyard and Good Medicine) and the Magshop web service which is now operated by Bauer Media Group.

In October 2019, Bauer agreed terms to purchase Pacific Magazines from Seven West Media. [9] The transaction was completed in May 2020 after the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission cleared the sale. [10] [11] [12]

In April 2020, several titles temporarily ceased publication due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. [13]

Mercury Capital

In June 2020, Mercury Capital purchased Bauer Media Australia. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

In July 2020, Mercury Capital announced that it would resume publishing some titles [19] [20] [21] while some including Good Health and NW , and the Australian editions of Elle , Harper's Bazaar , InStyle , Men's Health , OK! and Women's Health ceased permanently. [22] [23] [24] In addition, New Zealand titles Metro and North & South were sold to independent publishers. [19] [20]

In September 2020, Bauer Media Australia was rebranded as Are Media. [25] As part of the rebrand and relaunch, the company's CEO Brendon Hill confirmed that Are Media would be relaunching several titles including the New Zealand Woman's Weekly, New Zealand Listener, Woman's Day, The Australian Women's Weekly, Your Home and Garden, and Air New Zealand's inflight magazine Kia Ora. [26] [27]

Magazine titles

Related Research Articles

<i>The Australian Womens Weekly</i>

The Australian Women's Weekly, sometimes known as simply The Weekly, is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by the Australian edition of the American publication Better Homes and Gardens in 2014. As of February 2019, The Weekly has overtaken Better Homes and Gardens again, coming out on top as Australia's most read magazine. The magazine invested in the 2020 film I Am Woman about Helen Reddy, feminist icon and activist. Editor-in-chief Nicole Byers told Film Ink "Helen’s story of adversity and triumph is nothing short of inspirational. The Weekly has been telling stories of iconic Australian women for more than 80 years and we’re delighted to be supporting the film production".

<i>Ralph</i> (magazine)

Ralph was a monthly Australian men's magazine that was published by ACP Magazines, a division of PBL Media between August 1997 and July 2010. The format and style of Ralph was similar to other men's magazines, such as Maxim and Loaded.

<i>TV Week</i>

TV Week is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news.

<i>OK!</i>

OK! is a British weekly magazine specialising mainly in royal and celebrity news, with many showbiz exclusives. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006. In 2005, a US version was launched, followed by an Indian edition in May 2006, a Spanish-language version in Mexico in 2006, a Bulgarian-language version in 2007 and a Spanish edition in 2008.

The New Zealand Listener is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, food, culture and entertainment. The Bauer Media Group closed The Listener in April 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. In June 2020, Mercury Capital acquired the magazine as part of its purchase of Bauer Media's former Australia and New Zealand assets.

<i>Dolly</i> (magazine)

Dolly was an Australian bimonthly teen magazine started in 1970 by Fairfax Ltd. in Australia and New Zealand, and purchased by ACP in 1988. The magazine became an online-only publication, and the print edition ceased, in December 2016. In June 2020, the magazine was purchased from the Bauer Media Group by Mercury Capital.

<i>NW</i> (magazine) Australian womens magazine

NW was a weekly magazine published in Australia by Bauer Media. It contained articles about media celebrities, Hollywood gossip, clothing, makeup, dieting, and entertainment. In July 2020, the magazine was included in the sale of Bauer Media Australia to Mercury Capital, which closed NW down due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<i>North & South</i> (New Zealand magazine)

North & South is a New Zealand monthly national current affairs magazine, specialising in long-form investigative stories and photojournalism. In an eight-page article in 2015, for example, "Long Walk to Justice", staff writer Mike White asked if New Zealand’s justice system should establish an independent commission to investigate wrongful convictions. Issues involving justice in New Zealand provide a theme for many of his stories for North & South. Editor-at-large Donna Chisholm specialises in health and science writing. The editorial content also includes profiles of New Zealanders, brief stories, essays, opinion, music, film and book reviews, food, and travel.

Metro is a glossy bimonthly lifestyle magazine published in New Zealand. It has a strong focus on the city of Auckland, with reportage of issues and society. The magazine was first published independently by Mick Mason, Clive Curry and Bruce Palmer. Metro was shut down by its owners, the Bauer Media Group due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 17 July 2020, Metro was acquired by independent publisher Simon Chesterman.

<i>Cleo</i> (magazine)

Cleo is a Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai and Indonesian monthly women's magazine. The magazine was founded in 1972 in Australia; the Australia and New Zealand editions were discontinued in February 2016. Aimed at an older audience than the teenage-focused Australian magazine Dolly, Cleo was published by Bauer Media Group in Sydney and was known for its Cleo Bachelor of the Year award. In June 2020, Cleo was acquired by the Sydney investment firm Mercury Capital.

InStyle is a monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It is published in the US by Meredith Corporation.

Pacific Magazines was a magazine publisher operating in Australia owned by Seven West Media. In March 2020, it was acquired by Bauer Media Australia in April 2020. In June 2020, Mercury Capital acquired Pacific Magazines as part of its purchase of Bauer's former Australian and New Zealand assets.

Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited is an Australian publicly-listed media company with holdings in radio and television broadcasting, newspaper publications and digital media. The entity is largely a successor to the former Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL), which was established by the Packer family.

Bauer Media Group

Heinrich Bauer Publishing, trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations, as well as print shops, postal, distribution and marketing services. Bauer has a workforce of approximately 11,000, in 17 countries.

<i>Womans Day</i> (Australian magazine)

Woman's Day is an Australian women's magazine published by Are Media. It is Australia's highest selling weekly magazine.

<i>Womens Health</i> (magazine)

Women's Health, published by Hearst, is a lifestyle magazine centered on health, sex, nutrition and fitness. It is published 10 times a year in the United States and has a circulation of 1.5 million readers. The magazine has 13 international editions spanning 25 countries and reaching more than 8 million readers globally.

<i>New Zealand Womans Weekly</i> New Zealand magazine

The New Zealand Woman's Weekly is a weekly New Zealand women's magazine published by Are Media. As of 2011, it had a circulation of 82,040, third by paid sales after TV Guide and New Zealand Woman's Day.

Fashion Quarterly was an iconic premium fashion magazine showcasing New Zealand fashion, style and design, published from 1980 to 2020.

Mercury Capital is an Australian investment firm that owns a range of healthcare and media companies.


Are Media is an Australian media company. Formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 2010s, it is the dominant player in the Australian magazine market.

References

  1. ↑ The birth of a media empire The Daily Telegraph 3 April 2012
  2. ↑ "Publishers board sits on the fence". The Sydney Morning Herald . Google News. 11 July 1972. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Thomson gives up Publishers". The Sydney Morning Herald . Google News. 18 July 1972. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 Hicks, Robin (26 October 2012). "ACP to rebrand as Bauer Media". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  5. ↑ Smith, Erin (2 November 2011). "Nine sells ACP Asia mags". Ad News. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Nine Entertainment to sell ACP Magazines to Bauer Media Group". ACP Magazines. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Kruger, Colin (2 October 2012). "Bauer takes control of ACP". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Experts welcome Bauer takeover of ACP". Nine News . Australian Associated Press. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Agreement to sell Pacific Magazines" (PDF). Seven West Media. 21 October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Bauer Media Pty Limited - Pacific Magazines Pty Ltd". Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  11. ↑ Kelly, Vivienne (26 March 2020). "Bauer Media given all clear to acquire Seven West Media's Pacific Magazines". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "SWM completes sale of Pacific Magazines to Bauer" (PDF). Seven West Media. 1 May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. ↑ Meade, Amanda (29 April 2020). "Bauer Media suspends printing of 'certain' magazines and lays off 140 staff amid coronavirus fallout". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Bauer Media NZ bought by Australian investment company". Radio New Zealand . 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  15. ↑ Edmunds, Susan (17 June 2020). "Bauer magazines sold to private equity firm". Stuff . Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Kelly, Vivienne. "Bauer has left the building. What next for magazines in Australia?". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  17. ↑ Whyte, Jemina (19 June 2020). "Magazine buyer writes new story". Australian Financial Review . Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Kelly, Vivienne (17 June 2020). "Bauer Media sold to Mercury Capital". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  19. 1 2 Edmunds, Susan. "The Listener and other Bauer mags return — some may be gone for good". Stuff . Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  20. 1 2 "Bauer resumes publishing of The Listener and NZ Woman's Weekly after Mercury Capital takes over". New Zealand Herald . 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Bauer Media Aust & NZ fire sale to Mercury Capital completes". Mediaweek . 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Meade, Amanda (6 May 2020). "Australia's magazine industry in crisis as Bauer Media folds seven titles". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  23. ↑ Meade, Amanda (20 July 2020). "Mercury Capital axes eight former Bauer magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Men's Health". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  24. ↑ Doyle, Michael (21 July 2020). "InStyle, Elle, Women's Health, Men's Health among Australian magazines axed by Bauer Media". ABC News . Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  25. ↑ Blackiston, Hannah (28 September 2020). "Bauer Media rebrands as Are Media". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  26. ↑ "Rebrand and Relaunch: Australasia's Bauer Media now titled Are Media". StopPress. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  27. ↑ "'Are Media marks new era for Australasia's leading content and experiences company'". Voxy.co.nz. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.

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