With revenue forecasts raised by 4% and indications for higher performance in eCommerce and digital display advertising than the market average, Future is optimistic for the year ahead
LONDON – Future plc, the global platform for specialist media, announced stronger than expected audience growth metrics in the first four months of its fiscal year, with financial performance forecasted to be ‘materially’ ahead of current market expectations.
Future’s positive momentum points to a wider industry trend, where advertisers are allocating more ad spend to premium publishers, with the value of context and high-intent audiences becoming more recognised. Furthermore, eCommerce is also highlighted as being a key driver of growth for Future, indicating the diversification of revenue sources for publishers and the opportunities for innovation.
The company update highlights the growing audience numbers, with Future ranked as number one for unique visitors across its portfolio in the UK for 11 months straight, according to ComRes data.
Zack Sullivan, CRO UK at Future plc, said, “Today’s company update is a confidence boost on the outlook for 2020 and we are continuing to grow and win market share, despite any uncertainty around Brexit. The figures suggest advertisers are seeing the true value of premium publisher sites over other media platforms, and our publications are instrumental in proving the value of highly engaged audiences.”
Sullivan continued, “A real area of focus for us moving forward is the development of content commerce, again demonstrating the increased propensity to buy across a highly engaged audience to our partners. Advancements in 5G and video will be other defining factors which will further drive the evolution of publishing for the better.”
About Future
Future is a global platform business for specialist media with diversified revenue streams.
The Media division is high-growth with three complementary revenue streams: eCommerce, events and digital advertising including advertising within newsletters. It operates in a number of sectors including technology, games, music, home interest, hobbies and B2B and its brands include TechRadar, PC Gamer, Tom’s Guide, Android Central, Homebuilding & Renovating Show, GamesRadar+, The Photography Show, Top Ten Reviews, Live Science, Guitar World, MusicRadar, Space.com and Tom’s Hardware.
The Magazine division focuses on publishing specialist content, with over 75 publications and over 568 bookazines published per year, totalling global circulation of 1.1 million. The Magazine portfolio spans technology, games and entertainment, music, creative and photography, hobbies, home interest and B2B. Its titles include Classic Rock, Guitar Player, FourFourTwo, Homebuilding & Renovating, Digital Camera, Guitarist, How It Works, Total Film, What Hi-Fi? and Music Week.
