IPC launches magazines on CD-Rom

IPC Magazines is planning to launch a CD version of three of its newsstand titles in late spring in a joint venture with the entertainment software company Zone UK.

UnZip – a six-hour CD-Rom – will carry three branded sections from IPC’s NME, Vox and New Scientist. The “magazine” will carry new editorial of moving pictures, text and audio, plus archive articles and pictures.

The CD-Rom will be priced at about £20 and be available from large high-street multiples and record stores. It will carry advertising for soft drinks and clothing, arranged as a one-off by IPC.

The NME section is a music documentary, with Vox providing a review section on films, games and music. Meanwhile, New Scientist will provide editorial about the Internet.

Three areas of the “magazine” will be created by Zone UK a company which provides video consoles to record stores.

IPC multimedia development director Colin Tough says: “We’ve found ways of making viewers want to find advertising on the CD, rather than making them sit through unwanted material. We will be researching responses to the advertising.”

UnZip, which will have an initial run of 20,000 copies, is likely to go quarterly if successful.

IPC says 500,000 homes in the UK have a CD-Rom player.