IPC have more than 60 iconic media brands, with
which IPC creates content for multiple platforms, for example print, mobile,
online, events and tablets. As they are the UK's leading consumer magazine
publisher they interact with 26m UK adults. Which includes almost two thirds of
UK women and 42% of UK men. Their award winning online portfolio of websites
has managed to reach over 25 million users globally each month.
The history of IPC Media
The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was
created in 1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine
publishers which are George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications. who
came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing
Corporation (IPC). Which meant IPC Magazines was then created five years later,
in 1968.
‘The Field’ newspaper was launched during 1853,
within a year of being launched it became the largest newspaper in Europe,
containing 24 pages.
There were then another eight IPC titles that were also launched in the1800’s
all of which are still recognized today: Country Life, Horse & Hound,
Shooting Times, Yachting World, Amateur Gardening, Cycling Weekly, Amateur
Photographer and The Railway Magazine. Competitions played an important role in
the sales promotions for all the early IPC titles, for example the prize
offered by the fledgling magazine.
The arrival of three titles that were going to
become part of IPC Media many years later, where first seen at the very began
of the 1900’s. These are the three titles: Yachting Monthly, Cage
Birds* and Motor Boat.
The first of IPC's four
traditional women's weeklies, Woman's Weekly was launched in November 1911. That same year Golf Monthly was also launched, and many golfers enjoyed reading it.
Ideal Home was launched by Odhams specifically to compete with 'Homes and Gardens. It was very similar to the types of stories that were written for 'Homes and Gardens'.
The launch of Woman's Own in 1932, with the appearance of Woman following just five years later they became IPC's 'Big Two'. Newnes launched its first issue of Woman's Own with a free gift that was mounted on the front cover. They were giving away three skeins of wool with every copy. In 1937 the first issue of Woman cost 2d and was the first full-colour magazine to be that price.
During 1952 a new music magazine was launched this was called New Musical Express (NME). It was launched during this time because it's when music became more popular and more people were interested in music at this time.
Looking at these two images you can see a dramatic change between the first issue of the magazine and the magazine that was issued on their 60th anniversary.
The magazine on the left is the first NME magazine to be released, the picture on the right is the NMe magazine issue from it's 60th anniversary. The first issue looks more like a newspaper than a magazine. whereas the picture on the right actually looks like a modern magazine. Features such as the celebrity on the cover, the main story lines shown on the front cover and the pure white background with added colour makes it look like a magazine. Rather than the black and white images and cover of the first issue that was made. On the more recent version of the magazine the title is abbreviated to NME this shows that they are confident enough to know that their audience will recognise the magazine and know what it is so they have no worries of losing readers and it will also make the magazine have a more modern look.
IPC has been associated with many different types of magazines and audiences. This is their current portfolio:
- 25 Beautiful Homes
- Amateur Gardening
- Amateur Photographer
- Angler's Mail
- Beautiful Kitchens
- Chat
- Chat - It's Fate
- Chat Passion
- Country Homes & Interiors
- Country Life
- Cycle Sport
- Cycling Active
- Cycling Weekly
- Decanter
- Essentials
- European Boat Builder
- Eventing
- Golf Monthly
- Goodtoknow
- Goodtoknow Recipes
- Homes & Gardens
- Horse
- Horse & Hound
- Housetohome
- IBI
- Ideal Home
- InStyle
- Livingetc
- Look
- Marie Claire
- Motor Boat & Yachting
- Motor Boats Monthly
- MBR (Motor Bike Rider)
- Mousebreaker
- NME
- Now
- Nuts
- Pick Me Up
- Practical Boat Owner
- Rugby World
- Shooting Gazette
- Shooting Times & Country Magazine
- Shootinguk
- Soaplife
- Sporting Gun
- Style at Home
- SuperYacht Business
- SuperYacht World
- The Field
- TrustedReviews
- TV & Satellite Week
- TV Easy
- TVTimes
- Uncut
- VolksWorld
- Wallpaper*
- What Digital Camera
- What's on TV
- Woman
- Woman&Home
- Woman's Own
- Woman's Weekly
- World Soccer
- Yachting Monthly
- Yachting World
- YBW.com
