Streaming entertainment likely peaked for time-being says Media Man Agency

Covid factor largely over

Consumer burnout

Wokeness too shine off streaming

Profiles

Australia Wrestling Bitcoin Business Entertainment Sports

Advertising Promotions Contact Us

News

Entertainment outlet Variety set for local shores - February 28, 2022

Variety Magazine is coming to Australia. CREDIT:SCREENSHOT

By Zoe Samios

Popular US entertainment outlet Variety is expected to arrive in Australia later this year after Rolling Stone’s local publisher struck a deal to bring the title to local shores.

The Brag Media, an independent publishing group that continues to invest in both print and digital titles, is preparing to launch the publication under an expanded licensing deal, in the latest sign of revival for the local magazine sector.

Under the new deal, the local publisher will produce local film, television and theatre content. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources familiar with the arrangement said the magazine is likely to run quarterly, pending advertiser demand. An agreement was signed in the US in last couple of weeks, the sources said.

“Variety is the most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news, recognised and respected throughout the world,” a spokesperson for The Brag Media said. “The Brag Media... looks forward to revealing some exciting plans for a local edition of the iconic masthead in early 2022.” The Brag already has a sale representation agreement in place which reaches more than 600,000 Australians each month through its global website.

Variety launched in the US in 1905 by a man known as Sime Silverman. It began in New York City as a weekly newspaper reporting on theatre and vaudeville and is now known for its news and analysis on the entertainment sector. In 2022 it is owned by Penske Media Corporation.

The Brag is an independent publisher of several music-focused magazines, including The Brag and Tone Deaf. It is also the publisher of Rolling Stone Australia, a deal which it secured after its previous publisher, Paper Riot, went into administration. The company is expected to announce this week it has bought trade publication, The Music Network, from its founder Jake Challenor.

Variety’s arrival is the latest in a series of changes that are reinvigorating the local magazine sector, which suffered major falls in advertising spend during the early stages of the pandemic.

The merger between two major local publishers - Bauer Media (now Are Media) and Pacific Magazines - also led to mass redundancies and the closure of several global titles including OK!, NW, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Instyle.

In the past two years a number of these titles - Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Harper’s Bazaar and Instyle - were revived, this time by small, independent publishing houses.

(The Sydney Morning Herald)