Sport Media Group buys Front publisher

Sport Media Group, the owner of the Sunday and Daily Sport, has acquired Flip Media, owner of lads’ mag Front, for £125,000. It also includes film magazine Hotdog and DVD World.

The deal aims to strengthen Manchester-based SPMG’s presence in the London market, and it aims to provide cross-selling opportunities for advertisers across the magazines and newspapers. Earlier this year, SPMG overhauled the Daily Sport with a new look and content in a bid to compete with the weekly men’s magazines and attract new more mainstream advertisers.

Front is aimed at 18-25 year olds and has a monthly circulation of 40,000. The magazine, which has a cover price or £3.50, has a strong emphasis on music, films, gadgets and games but it also known for its photo shoots with glamour models.

Richard Olsen, Flip publishing director, says the deal is a “fantastic opportunity” to develop the Front brand. He adds; “Our aim, with the assistance of key members of the Sport team, is to take our titles to the next level.”

SPMG chief executive Andrew Flickling adds that the acquisition is part of its strategy to build a portfolio of complementary titles in a bid to broaden its readership and use “synergies” across content, advertising and production.