BBC Eyes Boys Market With Action Launch

BBC Magazines has launched a new magazine for boys aged four to seven, entitled Action Hero, which aims to bridge the gap between unisex pre-school magazines and older, more advanced titles.

The launch of the new 32-page monthly magazine will be supported by a TV ad campaign which will run across the Cartoon Network, Fox Kids, Nickelodeon, Nick Toons, Nick Jr and Boomerang for two weeks. The new title will have a cover price of £1.50 and an initial print run of 110,000.

Each issue of the new title will feature a cover mounted gift, an inflatable laser sword in the case of the first issue, which will be on the news-stands next month. The magazine will feature a variety of popular TV characters and toys, including Justice League, Ace Lightning, Super Duper Sumos and Micro Machines.

Commenting on the new launch, publishing director, Jaynie Bye, said: “Action Hero is a valuable addition to our extensive portfolio of children’s titles. We were very aware that boys under-seven were lacking a regular read aimed specifically at them, and we’re delighted with the finished result.”

In a busy month for magazine launches, Peter Howarth, former editor of Esquire, announced that the first launch from his new publishing house, Show Media, will be a glossy magazine for expectant fathers entitled Dad (see Former Esquire Editor Launches Magazine For Dads). French Connection has also unveiled a one-off customer magazine, produced by Howarth, to coincide with the launch of its new summer surf range.

Meanwhile, a new PlayStation 2 magazine, PSNext, published by Future, is due to hit the shelves this summer (see Future Publishing Launches PlayStation 2 Magazine).

BBC: 020 8743 8000www.bbc.co.uk

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