We chat to md Julie Jones about the publisher’s strong year and what’s coming up next.
Firstly, how is the market performing?
The preschool market is maintaining its strong sales despite a growing number of new titles coming on to the market. Kids magazines seem to be the one area of magazine publishing that remains fairly unaffected by the digital revolution. Total magazines are down -4.5% yoy in revenue, while preschool is up 4.8%, primary girls up by 13.8%, primary boys up by 14.3% and pre-teen down by 4.8%.
How is Redan performing against the market?
Our reputation as a preschool specialist means that we are always kept busy with new properties and innovations. We are the largest independent publisher of preschool magazines in the UK and our titles are responsible for 25% of the RSV in the sector. We also make considerable contributions to the primary girls sector with Sparkle World’s RSV bringing in 10% of the RSV in that area.
What do you look for in a licence?
After over 25 years in the business it’s still very difficult to judge which properties will fly and which will flounder. There’s a gut reaction to the look and style of a property and also how well supported it is in terms of a broadcast and online presence. Great story-telling is also essential along with a substantial style guide.
The internet is opening up more and more avenues for properties to break through and while TV has always been top of our list in terms of brand presence, that is becoming less and less of a priority with so many youngsters going online for entertainment. A good working relationship with the property owners is also essential, especially when looking at a stand-alone title.
What are you particularly proud of?
Our compilation titles. These are evergreen for us, their circulations rise and fall but Fun To Learn Friends, Fun to Learn Favourites and Sparkle World endure. They have a great mix of characters, high page counts and rich, educational editorial content. We are in complete control of everything aspect of those titles and that makes them a joy to work on. Our enduring and highly successful partnership with eOne and the Peppa Pig brand is another cause for great pride in the Redan offices.
What trends are you seeing? Either in consumer behaviour, in licensing or at retail? How are you responding?
The rise of non-traditional broadcast platforms is the biggest game changer for us, we’re now looking to YouTube, Netflix and Amazon for new properties to add to our portfolio and also for exciting ways to promote our products and grow our in-house brands and licences.
What are your predictions for the future?
Magazine publishing for the primary and preschool sectors will continue to flourish, but as other magazine sectors decline more and more publishers will be looking to launch titles aimed at the younger ages and competition for properties will be fierce.
This feature originally appeared in the autumn edition of Licensing Source Book. Click here to read the full publication.
