Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, the corporation has offices in: Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C.[2] Future US is owned by parent company, Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England.
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Predecessor |
|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people |
|
| Parent | Future plc |
History
editThe company was established when Future plc acquired struggling Greensboro (N.C.) video game magazine publisher GP Publications, publisher of Game Players magazine, in 1994.[3]
The company launched a number of titles including PC Gamer, and relocated from North Carolina to the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. When Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc he retained GP, renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and operated it as his sole company for a few years.[4]
Buoyed by the Internet economy and the success of Business 2.0 in the US (and subsequently in the UK, France, Italy and Germany), Future rode the boom of the late nineties. During this period the company won the exclusive worldwide rights to produce the official magazine for Microsoft's Xbox video game console and cemented its position as a leader in the games market. In the spring of 2001, buffeted by economic factors and the market downturn, Future Network USA went through a strategic reset of its business that included the closure of some titles and Internet operations and the sale of Business 2.0 to AOL/Time Warner.[5]
On September 19, 2007, Nintendo and Future announced that Future US would obtain the publishing rights to Nintendo Power magazine. This came into effect with the creation of issue #222 (December 2007).[6]
On October 1, 2007, it was announced that Future US would be making PlayStation: The Official Magazine, which ended up replacing PSM and first hit newsstands in November 2007. With this launch, Future US became the publisher of the official magazines of all three major console manufacturers in the US. PlayStation: The Official Magazine closed in 2012.[7]
In 2012, NewBay Media bought the Music division of Future US.[8]
In 2018, Future reacquired majority of the assets previously sold to NewBay by buying NewBay outright for US$13.8 million.[9] Future used this acquisition to expand its US footprint, particularly in B2B segment.[10][11]
In May 2021, Future US acquired the rights to Marie Claire from Hearst Communications.[12] Parent company Future plc already owned the rights to Marie Claire in the UK after its acquisition of TI Media in 2020.
In August 2024, Future US announced it would be closing Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News on September 30, 2024.[13]
Magazines and websites
editCurrent titles
editIts magazines and websites include:
- GamesRadar+
- Guitar World
- MusicRadar
- Laptop Mag
- Live Science
- MacLife
- Marie Claire
- Maximum PC
- Newsarama
- PC Gamer
- SmartBrief
- Space.com
- TechRadar
- Tom's Hardware
- TV Tech
- TWICE
- US Telecom Daily
- Who What Wear
- 5Gradar
Defunct titles
edit- AnandTech
- Bass Player
- CD-ROM Today
- Broadcasting & Cable
- Daily Radar
- Decorating Spaces
- Do!
- Electronic Musician
- Future Snowboarding Magazine
- Game Players
- Guitar One
- Guitar Player
- Guitar World Acoustic
- Guitar World Legends
- Guitar World's Bass Guitar
- Maximum Linux
- Men's Edge
- Mobile PC (magazine)
- Multichannel News
- netPOWER[14]
- Next Generation Magazine
- Nintendo Power
- Official Dreamcast Magazine
- Official Xbox Magazine
- PC Accelerator
- PlayStation: The Official Magazine
- Pocket Gamer[a]
- Revolution
- Scrapbook Answers
- Skateboard Trade News
- Snowboard Trade News
- T3
- The Net
- Total Movie
- Women's Health & Fitness
- World of Warcraft Official Magazine
Notes
edit- ^ not to be confused with Pocket Gamer by Steel Media
References
edit- ^ "Bloomberg – Future US Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ "Contact". futureplc.com. Bath, Somerset: Future plc. 2019. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ Cox, Howard; Mowatt, Simon (2014). Revolutions from Grub Street: A History of Magazine Publishing in Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0199601639.
- ^ "About Imagine". Imagine Media.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Timeline: a history of magazines". Magforum.com. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ "Future officially takes over Nintendo Power". nintendoforums.com. October 12, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ Kain, Erik (November 7, 2012). "PlayStation: The Official Magazine Is Shutting Down". Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ "NewBay Media Buys Music Mags from Future US". Folio. January 13, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Future plc Acquires NewBay Media for $13.8m". Future. April 4, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "PennWell Corp. and NewBay Media acquired by UK firms". Folio. Access Intelligence, LLC. April 4, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.[dead link]
- ^ Butts, Tom. "Future Publishing acquires TV Technology parent NewBay Media". TV Technology. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ Hopkins, Kathryn (May 11, 2021). "Hearst Magazines Sells Marie Claire U.S. to Future". WWD. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (August 6, 2024). "TV Industry Trade Outlets Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News Are Shutting Down". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ "netPOWER". Retrieved February 26, 2013.
