Officially official now, Cycle World has been sold to print media giant Bonnier Corporation, owner of such titles as Popular Science, Parenting, Field & Stream, and other niche-market publications. Acquired from the Hearst Corporation, Cycle World will maintain its current editorial and writing staff as it moves to Bonnier, and from what we’ve gathered talking to CW employees the transition is being viewed favorably, and is in the best interest of the publication. This is the second time Cycle World has changed hands this year, as the publication was sold by Hachette Filipacchi to Hearst this past February.
Formed in 2007, Bonnier Corporation is comprised of roughly 50 different specialty publications, most of which it gained through similar acquisition deals. With a monthly magazine circulation of 235,000, Cycle World is one of the largest motorcycle print publications in the United States, and surely is a piece in Bonnier’s plan to round out its collection of consumer-niche verticals. No financial terms of the deal were reported in the joint Hearst/Bonnier press release.
As a whole, we’ve seen a transition in ad-spending and readership gravitating to online media, with the motorcycle industry behind the curve, though following, this trend as well. With increasing pressure coming onto print publications, and an effective only strategy from the established brands yet to materialize, it will be interesting to watch and see where Cycle World goes from here now that it is under new ownership.
Source: Bonnier Corp.
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