Blissful Acquisition For Panini

Publisher Panini has bought the print and online versions of teenage magazine Bliss, taking the title from Emap in the New Year.

The title’s new owner will be aiming to address a circulation slump, which led to Bliss falling 23% year on year to an ABC circulation figure of 213,466 in the first half of 2006. However, it remains the most bought title in the teen magazine sector (see ABC Results Jan-Jun 2006:Teen Mag Sector Suffers As New Platforms Force Closures).

Panini, which is better known for its sticker album portfolio, bolstered its youth market output by acquiring Mizz from IPC Media in March (see Panini Plans Marketing Push Following Mizz Purchase). It invested heavily in the online presence for the title and plans to do the same for Bliss. At August’s ABCs, Mizz felt an almost 10% decline, with the magazine reporting a distribution of just over 60,000 copies.

“Bliss will be a major acquisition for Panini UK, which will propel us into the number one position in teenage lifestyle,” said Mike Riddell, managing director of Panini UK.

The Italian publisher, which has its UK operations in Tunbridge Wells, produces Spiderman, Batman, Postman Pat and Scooby Doo sticker albums, as well as a range of football titles.

Panini: www.paninionline.com