Case study: Mpora

Enders Analysis 46A Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7JW +44 207 851 0900 Overview [email protected] Mpora is the flagship brand of a UK-based portfolio of digital and print titles August 2014 focused on action sports. The Mpora website includes news, features and video content from 25 titles covering bike, board and outdoor sports, many not widely covered on broadcast television, such as whitelines for snowboarders, Dirt aimed at mountain bikers and RCUK targeting road cyclists. Many of the titles are available in print, online and mobile formats. Mpora is owned by Factory Media, Europe’s largest action sports media company, which also includes an advertising agency and online marketing network focused on the sports and lifestyle sectors. The main revenue streams are copy sales, subscriptions and advertising. Mpora network brands

[Source: Mpora]

Background and context

Often founded by enthusiasts, many magazines catering to niche sports continue to be produced by small, independent publishing houses. As in magazine publishing generally, falling print circulation and pressure on overheads have driven consolidation in niche publishing sectors including action sports. Growing use of the internet, added to its advantages as a low-cost distribution platform, has driven increasing investment by traditional and digital publishers in websites and latterly mobile apps. Many digital brands are extensions of existing print magazines, though there are an increasing number of online-only titles. Prospects for sports media businesses look broadly positive. Audiences for many sports events remain robust and, following the 2012 London Olympics,

participation in sport in England is rising, according to Sport England.1 Interest in many niche and action sports is also increasing, with more people regularly taking part in outdoor action sports such as athletics, cycling, mountaineering and canoeing and rowing. Whilst participation in snow sports has fallen, most likely due to the weak economy and high cost of ski holidays, it may recover as the economic outlook improves.

UK participants in selected sports

Sport 2005/2006 2011/2012 Change (%)

Athletics 1,353,800 2,033,700 50% Cycling 1,634,800 1,962,000 20% Mountaineering 67,000 98,700 47% Snow sports 127,400 80,400 -37% Sailing 64,000 64,400 1% Canoeing 36,500 46,600 28% Rowing 39,300 42,100 7% Number of adults claiming to spend at least 30 minutes at moderate intensity every week [Source: Sport England]

Content strategy Mpora is owned by Factory Media, the result of a merger of three independent UK- based sports publishers – Action Sports Media, 4130 Publishing and Permanent Publishing – in 2006. Since then the company has acquired a number of other titles. Whilst it remains primarily a UK publisher, it has expanded into other European markets especially Germany. In total, Factory Media has 26 sports media brands focused on biking, board and outdoor action sports, of which 17 are published as magazines, as well as digital editions for PC and/or mobile devices. Content includes news, features, details of events, product reviews, and directories of products and services. Websites and mobile apps also feature short video films, many produced in-house by Factory Media’s own editorial team, including interviews with athletes, features on events and ‘how to’ videos. Social media is used heavily to promote individual brands and drive engagement. The Mpora online network includes all 26 Factory Media sports brands, with selected articles published on the flagship Mpora website and mobile apps. Across all its brands, Factory Media claims a total audience of 6 million sports fans, of which more 1.2 million visit the Mpora website and apps.

1 http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/12/sport-england-figures-15m-adults-play-sport 2 | 9 Case study: Mpora August 2014

While much of the high-quality content in the cross-media brands is not exclusive to online, consisting of text and image pieces which are also present in print editions, the websites also offer audio and video content, as well as full multimedia content not possible through any traditional channel. See for example the Whitelines feature ‘Snowboarding and Music’, an in-depth long-form piece with quotes from experts, videos and photos, and side features like ‘best use of music in a snowboarding video’. Finally many of the brands are also socially connected in a way not possible through traditional media: Whitelines integrates Instagram social content directly into the site, blurring the lines between audience produced and professionally produced content. Interactive media from Skateboard

[Source: Skateboard/Mpora]

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Mpora/Factory Media portfolio

Brand Sport Core Website Print market(s) and/or app magazine Mpora Bike, board and UK Yes dirt Mountain bikingoutdoor UK Yes Yes RCUK Road cycling UK Yes Bike Magic Mountain biking UK Yes Onboard Snowboarding UK Yes Yes MotoX Motocross DE Yes Yes Ride UK BMX BMX biking UK Yes Yes whitelines Snowboarding UK Yes Yes Cooler Action sports for UK Yes Yes Moto Motocrosswomen UK Yes Yes Sidewalk Skateboarding UK Yes Yes Kingpin Skateboarding UK Yes Yes dirt DE Mountain biking DE Yes Yes Skateboard MSM Skateboarding DE Yes Yes Surf Europe Surfing UK Yes Yes Skiing Skiing DE Yes Yes MxtraX Motocross UK Yes freedombmx BMX biking DE Yes Yes BOARDS Windsurfing UK Yes Yes SnowboarderMBM Snowboarding DE Yes Yes Total Womens' Cycling Cycling UK Yes Surfers Surfing DE Yes Yes Boardseeker Windsurfing UK Yes BMX Talk UK BMX racing UK Yes Outside Times Outdoor challenge UK Yes Ski Union Skiingsports UK Yes [Source: Factory Media]

Print and digital brand – whitelines whitelines is the UK’s premier snowboard magazine, website and mobile app, reaching a combined audience of 170,000 according to Factory Media. The magazine is published 8 times a year during the European/US snowboarding season and includes news, features, columns, product reviews, tips and tricks, resort guides and world-class photographs of snowboarders in action. A year’s subscription costs £32.50 and individual issues are priced at £3.99. whitelines’ mobile apps are free to download, but are shell apps. Content is from the print magazine and requires a separate subscription or purchase of individual issues, priced at £26.99 and £3.99 respectively via in-app purchase. The whitelines website is free to access, supported by advertising, and updated throughout the year. Reaching 160,000 unique users every month2 it offers similar content to the magazine, plus video interviews, event footage, ‘how to’ videos and branded

2 http://factorymedia.com/blog/whitelines-hits-1m-monthly-pages-views 4 | 9 Case study: Mpora August 2014

content. whitelines also distributes a free weekly newsletter, called the Friday Fix, which includes news, and links to videos, to about 25,000 subscribers.

White Lines content and pricing by platform

Content Print magazine Website Mobile apps

News Yes Yes Yes Features Yes Yes Yes Product reviews Yes Yes Yes Tips and tricks Yes Yes Yes Resort guides Yes Yes Yes Videos No Yes No Subscription £32.50 for 8 issues N/A £26.99 for 8 issues Individual issue £3.99 N/A £3.99 per issue Advertising Yes Yes Yes [Source: White Lines]

Digital only brand – Mpora Mpora is the flagship sports brand for Factory Media and includes articles from all 25 titles within the Factory Media portfolio, covering bike, board and outdoor action sports. Available online and on mobile app, both free to access, the company claims Mpora reaches a total audience of 1.2 million. Mpora website

[Source: Mpora]

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Contribution to Public Service Objectives PSO3 – Sports and leisure Mpora (and the Factory Media portfolio) provides extensive coverage of outdoor and action sports, which receive relatively little coverage on broadcast television. Many of the sports it covers, such as competitive road cycling, BMX biking, skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing and so on are niche, and do not command huge television audiences, though there are exceptions around specific events, such as the Olympics, Winter Olympics and Tour de France. Examples of sporting and leisure content include sporting news stories such as “Mark Cavendish to ride Tour of Britain for Omega Pharma-Quickstep” on Mpora’s road cycling brand RCUK; tips for enthusiasts, such as “Snowboard Grabs: a Beginner’s Guide” from its snowboarding brand Whitelines; as well as curations of entertaining content relating to the sports it covers, such as “This Guy Was Having an Ordinary Day Mountain Biking. Then He Met a Bear…”. Snowboarding advice from Whitelines

[Source: Whitelines/Mpora]

Whilst many of the titles in Factory Media’s portfolio are published as print magazines, all are available online and/or via mobile apps. Online-only content includes over 100,000 videos, most of which would not be broadcast for reasons of brevity, lack of interest or simply lower production values. Much of the content on Mpora, which includes advice on getting started, what gear to buy and tips and tricks, is geared around participation in the sports it covers. In our view, Mpora is helping to satisfy a range of sporting and leisure interests which are relatively underserved on broadcast television. Furthermore, Mpora (and other online services like it) contributes directly to the social good by encouraging more people to participate in sport.

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Audience reach and profile

Across its portfolio of magazines, websites and apps, Factory Media claims to reach a total audience of 6 million sports fans.3 Since several of the magazines are published for international markets and the websites can be accessed from anywhere, a substantial share of the total will be based outside the UK.

Top 10 Mpora network brands by audience size (000) 1,200 1,250

1,000

750

500 425 310 290 240 215 200 250 170 145 140

0

Includes magazines, online and mobile apps [Source: Factory Media]

In the UK, according to comScore, the Mpora website reached 140,000 unique users in June. The focus on niche sports, many of which appeal to younger people, is reflected in its audience profile. Again according to comScore, more than half of Mpora’s online audience in the UK is under 35, compared to less than a third for BBC Sport and less than half for Sky Sports.

Internet audience share by age group, June 2014 (% of total)

100% 11% 17% 22% 80% 36%

60% 51% 37%

40% 34% 21% 20% 16%

13% 10% 13% 7% 0% 6% 5% Mpora BBC Sport Sky Sports Under-18 18-24 25-34 35-54 55+ PC, mobile and tablet users [Source: comScore MMX]

Business model and revenue

In March 2012, private equity company Forward Internet Group, which also owns uSwitch, the utilities’ price comparison site, acquired Factory Media.

3 http://factorymedia.com/brands#all 7 | 9 Case study: Mpora August 2014

The company’s main sources of revenue are copy sales, subscriptions and advertising. Digital advertising formats include ad banners, video ads, sponsorships and branded content. In total, the company employs more than 100 people. According to the latest filing at Companies House, Factory Media generated £250,000 in 2012

Summary Mpora covers a family of brands that publish material on action sports. These channels produce regular multimedia content, bringing the advantages of digital media to fans of highly specific sports. Some of the content is clearly directed at participants of the sports in question, but much of it is of more general appeal, for example articles on aspects of skateboarding culture, or videos of virtuosic BMX performances, which a non-participant visitor could enjoy. It caters to various sports and special interests, with a depth that is not found outside of the internet and specialist magazines. Online services have certain advantages over the latter – distribution is cheaper and easier, content can be updated on an ad-hoc basis, and social integration facilitates the creation of communities around a shared interest. The fact that the company can employ dozens of staff suggests that Mpora is an example of niche interests, often neglected on television, gaining impressive scale online.

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