UFC AND ACP ANNOUNCE UFC MAGAZINE AUSTRALIA
World’s fastest-growing sport to take Australian men’s titles by storm
The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) organisation and ACP Magazines today announced the Australian launch of one of the fastest-growing men’s titles in the world – UFC Magazine – the print bible of the UFC organisation.
UFC Magazine has become America’s top men’s news stand seller* since its launch in July 2009, outselling long established titles such as Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Men’s Journal and Details.
A men’s lifestyle title based on the fastest-growing sport in the world, UFC Magazine is part of the multi platform Las Vegas headquartered entertainment phenomenon that now dominates television and pay-per-view worldwide.
UFC Magazine Australia will be a formidable new challenger in the men’s lifestyle and health titles sector.
The magazine will combine the soaring popularity of UFC with ACP Magazines’ unparalleled ability to create lifestyle titles with broad appeal that extend far beyond their core subject matter.
Just as Top Gear is not just a car magazine, UFC Magazine Australia will feature much more than the elite mixed martial arts competition at the heart of UFC.
The first Australian edition of the magazine will be on sale in February 2011, timed to coincide with UFC’s expected return to Sydney with a live event.
The inaugural UFC event in Australia earlier this year sold out in just hours and attracted huge media attention. Data from sister PBL Media company, Ticketek, showed that one third of the 17,931-strong audience for the UFC 110 at Acer Arena last February were female, while almost half of fans in attendance travelled interstate for the show.
That event proved one of the most successful and record-breaking events in UFC history in terms of speed of ticket sales and merchandise sales.
Phil Scott, Group Publishing Director of ACP Magazines, said: “There has been a lot of speculation about the future of men’s magazines and UFC Magazine’s launch in the US has proved beyond doubt that men love print just as much as ever, although tastes have changed.
“We will invest strongly in the launch and believe ACP can emulate the success of its most recent men’s launch, Top Gear. We are delighted to partner with the UFC organisation.”
UFC President Dana White added: “We’re excited to work with our partners ACP Magazines to make UFC Magazine available in Australia. The Australian fans are awesome – at UFC 110 earlier this year the arena was packed before the first fight and the fans there are some of the most passionate and knowledgeable in the world.
“The UFC is blowing up Down Under. Australians are known for their love of contact sports and they just get it, it is in their DNA. And we know UFC Magazine Australia will take its place as one of the biggest sports lifestyle titles in the country just like it has in the US and around the world.”
According to Roy Morgan Research* there are currently 2.58 million people in Australia who either participate or watch combat sports. A quarter of them are women.
Founded in 1993, and purchased by current owner Zuffa in 2001, UFC has become the fastest-growing sports organisation in history.
The UFC brings together the most talented and dedicated athletes in the world, currently representing more than 20 countries, including Australian competitors George Sotiropoulos, Kyle Noke, Jamie Ta Huna and Anthony Perosh.
UFC is a diversified media and entertainment platform, including pay-per-view, wireless, internet, electronic gaming and merchandising. It also has a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter, with over three and a half million fans, second in US sports only to basketball. UFC television content is broadcast in 147 countries in 19 different languages and reaches almost half a billion households worldwide.
A recent survey of American men conducted by US Esquire magazine via Moody analytics found that UFC is now their second most favourite spectator sport, behind only American football (NFL).
The UFC brand also includes the The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality TV series which has been running for a record 12 seasons, making it the world’s longest running sports reality show. Contestants on the show, including Australia's Sotiropoulos, have gone on to become high profile UFC fighters.
ACP’s Phil Scott added: "We are extremely excited to bring this phenomenal new brand to print in Australia – it is already one of the world's biggest sports which has attracted a very large and passionate supporter base in Australia via pay-per-view, television and live shows, and the magazine is the logical extension.
"We launched Top Gear just 30 months ago and it has already become the most read monthly men's magazine in Australia. In UFC, it may well have a future challenger."
UFC Magazine Australia will be launched in February 2011.
*Source: Roy Morgan Research, June 2010