LONDON: The publishing arm of UK state-funded broadcaster, the BBC, is said to be preparing an April launch for its long-rumored weekly news title.
The still nameless publication, first mooted this summer [WARC News: 16-Jun-06], is reportedly being readied by BBC Magazines under the codename Project Phoenix.
It is expected to have global perspective, along the lines of US title Time, which has a 142,314 UK circulation and worldwide sales of 5.2 million.
Negotiations are said to be in progress with UK retailers and distributors about securing newsstand space. Says an unnamed industry insider: "They have aggressive newsstand plans, because they will have to create their own category."
The UK news weekly market is largely subscription-driven with newsstand sales accounting for less than a third of all sales.
BBC Magazines was unwilling to comment on its plans.
Data sourced from Media Week (UK); additional content by WARC staff
