Immediate Media
The deal
Investing in an award-winning consumer media business
£115m
Deal size, November 2011
Funds I & II
Realised investment
The story
Immediate Media is an award-winning special interest content and media platform business. It is one of the leading consumer media businesses in the UK and the country’s third-largest magazine publisher.
The business was created by Exponent in 2011 through the merger of BBC Magazines, Origin Publishing and Magicalia. We recognised the inability of the print publishing industry to tackle the structural challenge posed by the proliferation of non-print channels to market.
Through the ownership of Magicalia, the leading UK digital publisher, Exponent built a buy-in plan with CEO Tom Bureau and Operating Chairperson Stephen Alexander, formerly Chair of EMI. We were attracted to the business by its market leading brands in specialist verticals and its subscriber base, which is the largest in the UK.
The business was acquired by Hubert Burda Media for an undisclosed sum in January 2017.