Trading Update

RNS Number : 2488N

Future PLC

27 September 2012

 

27 September 2012

Future plc

Trading Update

Future plc, the international specialist media group and leading digital publisher, today publishes a Trading Update in respect of its financial year to 30 September 2012. Preliminary results for the year will be announced on 23 November 2012.

Trading in the fourth quarter has been encouraging in both the UK and the US, Future's two biggest markets. This has reinforced our confidence that the full year numbers for 2012 will be in line with our expectations and also give us a good trajectory into the next financial year.

Our progress towards a predominantly digital business continues. Sales of digital editions on Apple devices have passed £5m in the period since the Apple Newsstand was launched in October 2011. Visits to Future websites have increased more than 50% this year and now total more than 45 million unique users a month, with page view and engagement metrics also improving at a comparable rate. This is evidence of our sustained success in audience building. 

In the US we continue to make strong progress and are close to returning to profitability, fulfilling a commitment we made a year ago to be profitable in the US in FY 2013.

At our full year results in November we will outline our plans to grow and monetise our global digital audiences, leverage our position as a global leader in tablet products and software and diversify Future's revenues further.

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Future plc:
Mark Wood, Chief Executive                                      Tel: [phone]
Graham Harding, Group Finance Director             Tel: [phone]
Chris Taylor, Head of Communications                 Tel: [phone]

Brunswick Group:
Jon Coles / Andy Rivett-Carnac                                Tel: [phone]

About Future plc:
Future plc is an international media group and leading digital publisher, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR).  Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating 200 special-interest publications, apps, websites and events.  We hold market-leading positions in Games, Film, Music, Technology, Cycling, Automotive and Crafts. Our biggest-selling products include T3, Total Film, Classic Rock and Official Xbox Magazine. Our websites include gamesradar.com, bikeradar.com, musicradar.com and techradar.com (the UK's number one consumer technology website). Future sells 2.2 million magazines each month; we attract more than 45 million monthly unique visitors to our websites; and we deliver over 100 digital editions and bespoke apps on tablet. Future exports or syndicates publications to 89 countries, making us the UK's number one exporter and licensor of magazine content. Future was named Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year for the second year running at the Association of Online Publishers Awards 2012.

 

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