Sport will be published every Friday from 29 September and will be aimed at ABC1 men aged 18 to 40, pitched as a sports-themed rival to the likes of GQ and Esquire. However, its closest competitor is likely to be the Observer Sport Monthly.
The photo-led magazine will feature exclusive sports interviews, match previews and a guide to sports coverage on TV, as well as features on participation sports such as extreme mountain climbing and freestyle skateboarding. It is understood that around two-thirds of its covers will lead with football.
Paris-based publisher Sport Media & Strategy has set up a UK office for the launch, and has appointed Greg Miall, former director of global sales for Metro International, as publishing director, and Simon Caney, who previously edited Emap's football title Match, as editor-in-chief.
Sport was launched two years ago by Francis Jaluzot, who previously launched the Paris freesheet 20Minutes. It is now distributed in 11 cities and with a circulation of 525,000 copies a week, it claims to reach more men in the country than any other title. It became profitable at the end of last year.
The UK edition will be handed out between 7am and 9.30am at underground stations and train stations identified as having a high concentration of its target audience, and will be distributed through gyms and sports clubs, company headquarters and through exclusive airline partnerships with British Airways, BMI and Virgin.
It will have a print run of 350,000, extending to 400,000 after two months, when it will be distributed to other UK cities.
The UK launch is backed by £7m from international investors, including Complete Leisure Group, chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe.
Each 48-page issue of the UK magazine - Sport's first international edition - will run 12 ad pages, six of them right-hand pages.
To date, sports advertisers have accounted for around one-fifth of the revenue, with the rest coming from male-oriented big brands in such markets as cars, grooming and consumer electronics.
Progress Communications is planning a promotional campaign ahead of the launch, to include e-mail and viral marketing as traditional media work.
The photo-led magazine will feature exclusive sports interviews, match previews and a guide to sports coverage on TV, as well as features on participation sports such as extreme mountain climbing and freestyle skateboarding. It is understood that around two-thirds of its covers will lead with football.
Paris-based publisher Sport Media & Strategy has set up a UK office for the launch, and has appointed Greg Miall, former director of global sales for Metro International, as publishing director, and Simon Caney, who previously edited Emap's football title Match, as editor-in-chief.
Sport was launched two years ago by Francis Jaluzot, who previously launched the Paris freesheet 20Minutes. It is now distributed in 11 cities and with a circulation of 525,000 copies a week, it claims to reach more men in the country than any other title. It became profitable at the end of last year.
The UK edition will be handed out between 7am and 9.30am at underground stations and train stations identified as having a high concentration of its target audience, and will be distributed through gyms and sports clubs, company headquarters and through exclusive airline partnerships with British Airways, BMI and Virgin.
It will have a print run of 350,000, extending to 400,000 after two months, when it will be distributed to other UK cities.
The UK launch is backed by £7m from international investors, including Complete Leisure Group, chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe.
Each 48-page issue of the UK magazine - Sport's first international edition - will run 12 ad pages, six of them right-hand pages.
To date, sports advertisers have accounted for around one-fifth of the revenue, with the rest coming from male-oriented big brands in such markets as cars, grooming and consumer electronics.
Progress Communications is planning a promotional campaign ahead of the launch, to include e-mail and viral marketing as traditional media work.
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