Time warners takeover of british IPC media

Time warners take over of British publisher IPC media has given the NME brand a new lease of life. discuss.

your answer should show an understanding of the concept of synergy as it relates to media business + convergence (multiplatform delivery of content)

NME is the longest published and the most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives its readers the most exiting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music.In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music magazine. The popularity of the NME brand had become very popular through the mewdium of the internet, although hard back copies of the issues weren't quite as successful. This changed quite dramarically since the infamous Time Warner corp, took over.

NME has almost definitely been a great success throughout it's well pronounced history, but it was the synergy between Time Wrner and IPC which really allowed the magazine to take off. The convergence between the two platforms of media drew great benefits for times, aswell as NME. The financial dependence on Times allowed NME to sacrafice more money for their revenue e.g. delivering more issues to sales providers, placing more advertising within other brands of magazine (usually IPC's brands. In tewrms of Tmes Warners benefits, the fact that they had claimed IPC meant that they could make a bigger name for themselves, through brands such as NME.

This achieved higher status not only drew in more of an audience, but attracted diversity within the audience. Within the IPC media platform there are many different genre of magazine e.g. Country life, Marie Claire and TVTimes. It would seem that Times had captivated the attention of a convincing number of readers. Although, however successful this may sound, there is a possible disadvatage to this. Through Times's aim to gain control of the market, they had become more monopoly based corporation. This can be a disadvatage, as ideas and development will derive from one source. This may allow regional identity to effect how merchandise and such is delivered and presented e.g an audience in Asia may not find a product produced in America very attractive, hence affecting sales and profits.

I believe that a more oligopoly based corporation would benefit greatly. Representatives can be based over many locations worldwide, meaning that each location representing the corporations can be influenced by the region in which they are based. This way products can be specified to attract the general local audience.

Time Warner has given the NME brand a new lease of life. Although NME will always be successful through the digital form of magazine e.g the NME app, there will always be hard backed religious readers who will need to be provided for. The control of Times allosw a very strong dependence on NME's part, meaning magazines will continue to be provided succesful through multiple forms of medium.