Imagine reveals strong results for videogames magazine ABCs
Fifty percent of all independent Xbox 360 magazines sold are published by Imagine, according to latest ABC figures
Imagine Publishing has captured more than 50 per cent of the independent Xbox 360 magazine market thanks to stellar performances from its two Xbox 360 titles. X360 magazine posted a new ABC figure of 32,705 (July-Dec 07), up an impressive 16.8% year-on-year. This makes X360 once again the UK's market-leading independent Xbox 360 magazine.
To further strengthen Imagine's position in this competitive marketplace, 360 magazine boosted sales by 17.5% year-on-year, recording an ABC figure of 13,364. With a combined circulation of 46,069, this means Imagine Publishing now commands more than 50 per cent of the independent Xbox 360 market in the UK.
Double Games Media Award-winning multiformat title, games recorded average sales of 22,284 for the period Jan-Dec 07, a year-on-year rise of 9.4% compared to a drop in the same period of 10% for its closest rival, Edge.
Dan Slingsby, Editorial Director at Imagine, commented: "This is brilliant news. All three magazine teams have worked tremendously hard to achieve these impressive results, signing up exclusive covers and reviews, so it's a credit to them. We've got some exciting plans in the future that will further cement our position as the number one publisher of independent Xbox 360 magazines in the UK."
"This is a fantastic result for the team as it really shows the popularity of the titles with Xbox 360 gamers," said James Hanslip, Head of Sales at Imagine. "We're proud that our videogames portfolio continues to provide our advertisers with unrivalled platforms in the games market."
Play magazine - the longest running PlayStation magazine in the world, now in its thirteenth year - posted average sales of 24,007, making it the second biggest-selling independent PlayStation magazine in the UK in a year that saw the delay of the launch of the PlaySation 3. Sales of Play have now climbed well above this level due to the effect of the sales of the PlayStation 3 console now exceeding one million units in the UK.
Imagine Publishing is one of the UK's fastest growing consumer specialist publishers. Formed in May 2005, it now publishes 20 magazines and 20 websites in the videogames, computing, entertainment and photography markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.
Latest independent Xbox 360 ABCs (Jul-Dec 07)
Magazine - Publisher - Latest ABC - Share
X360 - Imagine - 32,705 - 35.7%
360 - Imagine - 13,364 - 14.6%
Xbox World 360 - Future - 31,698 - 34.6%
360 Gamer - Uncooked - 13,928 - 15.2%