Archant’s Lifestyle division has sold its Sport Diver UK magazine brand to Bonnier Corporation but remains in a JV to continue to publish it.
Archant has announced the sale of the Sport Diver UK brand to magazine publisher Bonnier Corp, with effect from 1 November, which includes the monthly printed magazine, the website, various apps and associated special publications.
The sale, for an undisclosed sum, sees the creation of a partnership between the two companies, so Archant will continue to publish Sport Diver in the UK and the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Under the deal all Sport Diver UK staff will remain employed by Archant and the company said there would be no disruption to its publishing cycle.
The sale builds on Bonnier Corp’s international expansion within the diving market after it last year introduced the Sport Diver brand into the Asia-Pacific region, with the launch of its digital-only magazine Sport Diver Asia Pacific.
Dave Freygang, CEO of Bonnier Corp, said: “This is really the next step in our globalization of the Sport Diver brand. Plans are to expand into the German market in 2014 and throughout Europe in future years. This is a big moment for Sport Diver and Bonnier Corp tapping into new markets and revenue.”