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Golf Magazine Expands Beyond Print

After suffering a 12.2 percent decrease in ad pages in 2005, Time4 Media’s Golf Magazine is repositioning itself as a multimedia destination, expanding to the internet, a spin-off magazine, and television, writes Mediaweek. The 1.4 million-circulation Golf Magazine is becoming a content company that is available to its audience whenever, wherever, Time4Media says. The new media outlets also give marketers of endemic and non-endemic products and services access to more online and print advertising.

Thanks to the acquisition of Golf.com, together with Golfonline.com and the company’s corporate ties to SI.com’s Golf Plus, Time Inc. services an average of over 3 million online users yearly.

Beginning in March, Time will expand on the magazine’s fastest growing ad category, golf-related real estate, by launching Golf Magazine Living. A second edition of the guide to buying golf community property will debut fall 2006. Quarterly editions will arrive in 2007. The new magazine has targeted a population of 350,000 affluent subscribers of Golf and other Time Inc. publications to receive copies. 

Golf’s first expansion into television, a one-hour, two-episode reality show, The St. Joseph Pressure Challenge, will debut in May on CBS. The show has opened doors to new advertisers like Dockers and St. Joseph aspirin. Buick and Cobra Golf are also sponsors.

Golf is not the only publication in its field to make expansions. Golf Digest, the 1.5 million-circulation rival of the magazine, started Golf Mobile, has plans to publish a spin-off magazine, and signed a deal to produce a golf show on XM Satellite Radio.