Purch Group, Inc. was a New York City -based digital media company. Originally established in 2003 as TechMedia Network, Inc. , it was positioned as a "portfolio of brands and products focused on purchasing decisions"—consisting primarily of websites focusing on reviews of consumer electronics , positioned to marketers as outlets to " directly engage with buyers in the right place, at the right time".
22-476: In 2018, Purch sold its consumer brands to Future plc . Its business-to-business unit Business.com was not included in the sale. In 2009, Purch, then known as TechMedia Network, Inc. acquired LiveScience , Space.com and Newsarama from Imaginova. Two years later, TechMedia Network acquired Laptop Magazine from Bedford Communications. In July 2013, the company acquired Bestofmedia Group, publisher of Tom's Hardware , Tom's Guide , Tom's IT Pro, Anandtech and
44-586: A UK wedding planning brand. In November 2015 Immediate Media acquired its first television property, Jewellery Maker, a TV and online commerce platform, from the Genuine Gemstone Company, adding to its Crafts and Arts portfolio. Jewellery Maker employed over 100 people at the time of its acquisition. It has since expanded into TV, video and e-commerce . Hubert Burda Media acquired Immediate Media in 2017, for £270 million (5-6 x EBITDA ). In 2019, Immediate Media sold Procycling magazine and
66-533: A mobile shopping app. Purch's 2015 round of funding ($ 135 million) was led by Canso Investment Counsel. Purch has received additional funding from ABS Capital Partners , Village Ventures, and Highway 12 Ventures. Purch was headquartered in New York City, where Greg Mason served as CEO. In 2018, Purch announced that it would sell its consumer brands to British media company Future plc for $ 132.5 million. Its business-to-business operations were retained under
88-469: A variety of sister publications across Europe. TechMedia Network, Inc. acquired BuyerZone.com, LLC from Reed Business Information in early 2014. In April 2014, TechMedia Network. changed its name to Purch and simultaneously announced an exclusive partnership with Mobile Nations, a portfolio of mobile-focused online communities. In December 2014, Purch announced the acquisition of AnandTech and in March 2015
110-491: A £594m takeover of GoCo plc, known for its Gocompare.com price comparison website. In August 2021, it acquired another 12 magazines for £300 million. 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 million if the company performs well. Byng-Thorne resigned with effect from 3 April 2023 and
132-524: Is owned by Hubert Burda Media , and is an agglomeration of Magicalia , Origin Publishing and BBC Magazines , publishing both media content and software platforms. Approximately 85% of its revenue is from content services, with the remainder from advertising. Immediate Media originated from the combined assets of several formerly independent publishing houses, including BBC Magazines, Magicalia, Future plc , Hitched and Jewellery Maker . In late 2011
154-551: The Business.com banner (which it had acquired in 2016). The company owned and operated the following websites: Following websites were not included during the sale to Future, and went under Business.com: Future plc Future plc is a British publishing company . It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson . Among its titles are Country Life , Homes and Gardens , Kiplinger Personal Finance , Decanter , Marie Claire , and The Week . Zillah Byng-Thorne
176-762: The BBC's magazine-publishing business was sold to Exponent Private Equity, following clearance by the Office of Fair Trading . Exponent had previously acquired Magicalia Limited, a digital publisher and platform provider based in London. Magicalia was founded in 1999 by Adam Laird and Jeremy Tapp. Its inaugural website was bikemagic.com. In 2000, it began offering B2B publishing services, with clients such as Runner's World magazine. In 2011 Magicalia's assets were combined with those of Origin Publishing and BBC Magazines to form Immediate Media. Tom Bureau, then-CEO of Magicalia, became
198-544: The Chief Executive of the new company. In May 2014 Immediate Media acquired Future plc's sport and craft titles. The sport portfolio included the websites Bikeradar.com and Cyclingnews.com and the magazines Cycling Plus , Procycling and Mountain Biking UK . The craft titles included Love Patchwork and Quilting, Simply Knitting, and Mollie Makes . In January 2015, Immediate Media acquired Hitched.co.uk,
220-551: The Cyclingnews.com website to Future plc. Radio Times is a British weekly television and radio programme listings magazine , founded in 1923 by John Reith , the then general manager of the BBC. It was the world's first broadcast listings magazine. The title was published entirely in-house by BBC Magazines from 1937 until 2011, when the BBC Magazines division was sold to Immediate Media. Its peak weekly circulation
242-472: The U.S. consumer music magazines to Future, with the exception of Revolver which had been sold to Project Group M LLC in 2017. It bought the Purch Group for $ 132m by September 2018, and in February 2019 bought Mobile Nations including Android Central, iMore, Windows Central and Thrifter for $ 115 million. Future also acquired Procycling and Cyclingnews.com from Immediate Media . In July 2019
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#1732794511047264-754: The UK. Later in 2014, Future sold its sport and craft titles to Immediate Media , and its auto titles to Kelsey Media. In April 2014 Zillah Byng-Thorne , then finance director, was appointed chief executive, replacing Mark Wood, who had been in the position since 2011. 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. This acquisition returned most of
286-560: The company announced the acquisition of mobile shopping app Consumr, which was rebranded that following July as Purchx. Included in the rebrand was the launch of the Purch Marketplace, where shoppers can browse and buy technology products and services online. In September 2015, Purch acquired Active Junky, a loyalty program and online shopping site for outdoor gear. This was followed by the December 2015 acquisition of ShopSavvy,
308-583: The company bought SmartBrief, a digital media publisher, for an initial sum of $ 45 million. In November 2019 the company bought Barcroft Studios for £23.5 million in a combination of cash and shares. 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 . In April 2020 it acquired TI Media , with 41 brands for £140 million, and, in November 2020, it agreed
330-473: The company moved to a digital model. 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." 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
352-492: The company to Pearson plc for £52.7m in 1994, but bought it back in 1998, for £142 million. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1999. Anderson left the company in 2001. 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 . Future published the official magazines for
374-478: 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. 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
396-689: The merged title Multichannel News dating from 1980. 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 ceasing publication after 27 years. In addition to media and magazines, the company has two other businesses: Future's portfolio of brands includes TechRadar , PC Gamer , Tom's Guide , Tom's Hardware , Marie Claire , GamesRadar+ , How it Works , CinemaBlend , Android Central , IT Pro , BikePerfect , Windows Central , Chat and
418-494: The website goodtoknow.co.uk . Immediate Media Immediate Media Company Limited (styled as Immediate Media Co) is a British multinational publishing house that produces a wide range of magazine titles, including Radio Times , BBC Top Gear , BBC Good Food and many others. In H1 2018, the company's titles reported a combined ABC circulation of 1.59 million, including 1.1M active subscribers. In 2018 it reported selling 70+ million magazines. The publishing house
440-474: Was chief executive officer from 2014 to 2023, when she was replaced by Jon Steinberg . The company was founded by Chris Anderson as Future Publishing in Somerton, Somerset , England, with the sole magazine Amstrad Action in 1985. An early innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers. It acquired GP Publications and established what would become Future US in 1994. Anderson sold
462-462: Was 8.8 million. In 2014 it accounted for 60% of Immediate Media's profit. It is the UK's biggest-selling magazine, with a weekly print ABC of 577,087, and the UK's biggest weekly subscription title, with 271,237 subscribers in 2018. Immediate Media says that it has the largest market share in the UK children's magazines sector, with a total ABC-audited circulation of 780,194. Some Immediate Media brands serve as e-commerce marketplaces. These include
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#1732794511047484-428: Was replaced as chief executive by Jon Steinberg . In April 2023, the company sold its shooting magazines including Shooting Times and Sporting Gun to Fieldsports Press. In August 2024, the company announced that its American trade papers Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News would be closing after more than 90 years, with the main title Broadcasting having been first published in 1931 and
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