Forever Sports has teamed up with Baltic Publishing Group in Latvia and Awesome Media in the Middle East to emulate the success of the UK edition. In the two years since launch, Forever Sports magazine experienced a rise from a debut ABC of 62,277 to 104,974 for Jul-Dec 2015 15, says Haymarket.
Awesome Media will print the Middle East edition in both English and Arabic. Launching in May, it will reach an audience of 20,000 in UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The Latvian deal will see Baltic Publishing Group mirror the UK Forever Sports model by teaming up with Sportland, Sports Direct’s retail partner in the region to magnify copy sales and maximise advertising revenue.
Rachel Marks, Publisher of Forever Sports, said: "Interest from global license partners is an incredibly positive reflection on the editorial product we have created over the past two years, showing the global appeal of the content. Being able to replicate our UK business model through the partnership with Sports Direct also allows our license partners to hit the ground running with a strong distribution network and drive commercial revenue."
Alastair Lewis, Haymarket Consumer Media's International Director, said: "I'm delighted that we will be launching Forever Sports into two new markets. It’s great to be extending our partnership with Baltic Publishing Group in Latvia, following their hugely successful license of WhatCar? in the region. We also welcome the introduction of Awesome Media into the arena.
"This new dual-language print partnership is a great example of the new ways we are now working with partners around the globe to extend our brands and take our content to new audiences."
At the same time the team also widened its digital reach, relaunching ForeverSports.com to boost the brand’s overall editorial offering. FS will now work across the full range of media channels and give readers more ways to up their game, say the publishers.
The first new-look issue, on sale now, features an exclusive interview with British boxer Anthony Joshua, who fights for the world heavyweight title in April. The feature has been received with enthusiasm by readers and social media, with the Daily Mail online running some of the shots.
In the new FS mag, the popular style and grooming sections have been moved nearer the front to reflect the importance of lifestyle to its readers, while a new opening section ‘What’s in this for me?’ considers how readers can get the most out of the month ahead, with stories on everything from Ana Ivanovic and Kanye West to making the perfect bacon sandwich.
"Our message is clear," added Publisher Rachel Marks. "We aim to become the UK’s biggest men’s lifestyle brand starting from our current base of an ABC in excess of 100K, a new website, unique access to 650 retail outlets and 9 million buyers."
