Time Out last week announced a new long-term franchise partnership with Vinyl Group, an Australian culture and lifestyle media businesses.
Under the agreement, Vinyl will acquire and operate Time Out Australia, including its digital platforms, social channels, events and experiential activations. Time Out Australia will continue to publish under the Time Out brand through a long-term franchise agreement with Time Out Group.
The partnership marks the next chapter for Time Out in Australia and reflects Time Out's strategy of partnering with strong local operators who can help grow the brand through local expertise, audience insight and commercial scale, added the publisher.
Time Out says it has built a strong presence in Australia, helping millions of people discover the best of their cities through trusted recommendations across food, culture, travel, entertainment and experiences. The brand reaches highly engaged audiences looking for inspiration on what to do, see and eat.
Vinyl operates a portfolio of media brands and cultural platforms in Australia and New Zealand, making it well positioned to support the continued growth of Time Out Australia.
Rob Biagioni, CEO of Time Out Media, said: "Australia is an important territory for Time Out, and we're proud of the business and audience we have built over many years.
“Vinyl has a strong track record of growing premium media brands and connecting audiences with real-world experiences, making them the ideal partner for Time Out in Australia.
“We are excited to work together to continue growing the Time Out brand and helping Australians discover the very best of their cities."
Josh Simons, CEO and executive director of Vinyl Group, said: “This is a highly strategic acquisition that brings one of the world’s most iconic culture brands into the Vinyl Media portfolio.
“Time Out strengthens our position at the intersection of content and real-world experiences, and expands our reach into high-value audiences across Australia. It is another important step in building a scaled, premium publishing platform.”
Time Out says the agreement forms part of its wider franchise strategy, which enables the brand to expand its reach through experienced local operators while maintaining the editorial values, expertise and trusted recommendations that define Time Out globally.
Time Out Australia will continue serving audiences across its digital platforms, social channels and events, with no interruption to readers, commercial partners or contributors.
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