New and digital media #9

Radio Times seeks to fuel digital success with print profitsRadio Times, which accounts for 60% of its publisher's profits, is undergoing a transformation to woo younger readers

While other magazine publishers chase the digital-savvy generation of under-25s Radio Times is swimming against the tide somewhat, targeting a slightly older, thirtysomething demographic with its online products. But then the average age of its print readers is 57.

The weekly is the standout title in Immediate Media's 56-strong magazine portfolio, accounting for 60% of the company's total adjusted profits of £26.5m (up a quarter year-on-year), according to the most recent public financial report for the year to 31 March. "It is the jewel in the crown, a phenomenally robust brand that everyone knows and we can move that into digital services targeting the late 20s to 40s," says Tom Bureau, chief executive of Immediate Media. "We're not focusing on 16 to 24s, we think that's where social TV apps and those services are focusing their attention. We need to be laser-targeted."

The venerable listings title is touted as the most profitable magazine in the UK, and Bureau could choose to milk its impressively slow decline for years ("it is very robust, very few people leave the title, we're talking mortality"). Instead it epitomises the publisher's ambition to turn its print titles into multi-platform brands. Radio Times recently invested heavily in Discover TV, an iPad app (soon on iPhone and Android) targeting 30- to 35-year-olds with Buzzfeed-style "best of" recommendation lists. It costs £2.99 a month, but the company is also offering a cut-down level of access with a "freemium" version.