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Abstract (Summary)
The Media Store's associate media director Andrew Lamb said: "It is true that ACP have a strong representation of male-targeted magazines, a segment that is drastically underrepresented from the other major publishers - Pacific Magazines in particular."
Media buyers have expressed concern that ACP Magazines now has a stranglehold on the men's magazine market, after the publisher acquired the rights to publish car magazine Top Gear .
ACP announced this week that it has gone into a joint venture with the UK's BBC Magazines to publish its titles in Australia, with famous car brand Top Gear the first, due to launch in the middle of this year.
There will be a second magazine launch by the end of the year. The addition to its men's portfolio follows its acquisition of Emap Australia last September, which handed it Zoo Weekly and FHM , alongside its existing Ralph and Men's Style .
Phil Scott, group publisher at ACP, said: "We had five of the top 10 a decade ago. We have seven of the top 10 today, and we're working on making that eight or nine."
Although there are competitors in the market - News Magazines publishes Alpha and GQ - media buyers said ACP now controlled the young men's market.
The Media Store's associate media director Andrew Lamb said: "It is true that ACP have a strong representation of male-targeted magazines, a segment that is drastically underrepresented from the other major publishers - Pacific Magazines in particular."
However, he added: "One needs to remind oneself that there are a multitude of other options to affectively reach men."
James Parkinson, trading director Australia Group M, said: "I'd expect the publication to go well and will have the significant benefit of SBS's TV show to drive it.
"Having said that I wouldn't mind ACP having a bit more competition."
John Preston, founder of media agency Match, added: "Most people would say monopoly is not a good thing, because competition is good, and to be able to trade off between publishers is advantageous to the client.
"But, on the flip side, if a client doesn't have enough money to buy all the magazines that ACP has in its stable, the agency will in affect trade between the different magazines to get the best rate."
Mitchell's trading director Alex Pekish said ACP now had control of young men's market, but in print there were still other ways to target older men, such as business publications and supplements.
The Top Gear announcement came as the publisher confirmed that it is to move FHM upmarket and change format, as revealed in B&T (issue Feb 29).
It will have a new wider format, new paper stock, an overhaul of the editorial package and the magazine will stop taking phone sex ads resulting in the loss of around $1m worthof advertising.
