Future plc
| File:Future plc.svg | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| LSE: FUTR | |
| Industry | Magazine and internet publishing |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Chris Anderson |
| Headquarters | Bath, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom United States Australia |
Key people | Peter Allen (Chairman) Mark Wood (CEO) |
Number of employees | 2,395 (2021)  |
| Website | http://www.futureplc.com/ |
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography.[1] Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers.[2] It is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index. The company also owns the US company, Future US.
History
The company was founded as Future Publishing in Somerton, Somerset in 1985 by Chris Anderson with the sole magazine Amstrad Action.[3] An early innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers, the first company to do so.[3]
Anderson sold Future to Pearson PLC for £52.7m in 1994, but bought it back in 1998, with Future chief executive Greg Ingham and Apax Venture Partners, for £142m.[3] In 2001 Anderson left Future.[4]
In November 2009, Future reported a fall in profits from £9.5 million to £3.7 million (a loss of 61 percent) in the fiscal year that ended 30 September 2009. Future attributed this to problems with their US market, hit by a fall in the general advertising market.[2]
In March 2010, Future announced that it was exploring the possibility of reviving its GamesMaster brand on television. The video games show had run from 1992 until 1998; the spin-off magazine continues to be published.[5][6]
In January 2012, Future sold its U.S. music-media brands, including Guitar World and Revolver magazines to New Bay Media LLC for $3 million. [7] In April 2013, it completed the sale of major components of its U.K. media-music brands for ₤10.2 million to Team Rock Ltd. [8]
Organisation
Peter Allen and Mark Wood currently serve as chairman and chief executive of Future plc respectively.[9]
References
- ^ Young, Eric (6 March 2006). "South S.F. publisher buys another magazine". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Another blow to print journalism: Future Publishing profits fall 61%". Gamer Limit. 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ a b c Nicholas, Ruth (11 July 1999). "Profile: Chris Anderson: Media with passion". The Independent. London.
- ^ Walters, Helen (18 February 2010). "TED's Not Dead, But It Is Aging: The annual conference tries to reach out to a new generation, awkwardly". Business Week. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ "Future exploring revival of GamesMaster TV show". VideoGamer.com. 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ Aiton, Ewan (1998-02-04). "Games Master, when are you coming back? - News". play.tm. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ http://online.hemscottir.com/ir/futr/ir.jsp?page=news-item&item=883747503247192
- ^ http://hsprod.investis.com/ir/futr/ir.jsp?page=news-item&item=1505942235512870
- ^ "Board members". Future plc. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
External links
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