Pacific Magazines

What Pacific Magazines does

Pacific Magazines, operating under the brand Are Media, is Australia's leading omnichannel content company for women. Founded in 1902 and headquartered in Sydney, the company operates a portfolio of 35 media brands spanning print magazines and digital platforms, including flagship titles such as Australian Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, New Idea, Better Homes and Gardens, Elle, and Marie Claire. Its reach includes 6 million monthly print readers, 9-in-10 women in Australia annually, and 20 million social connections across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The company's technology stack comprises digital media platforms, website properties, mobile applications, and traditional print publishing infrastructure. The product portfolio includes both print magazines and digital-native platforms such as Beautycrew, BeautyHeaven, Bounty Parents, and Cooking with AWW. Distribution is operated through newsagents and retail outlets, the Magshop e-commerce subscription platform (magshop.com.au), social media channels, and regional operations in New Zealand via Are Media New Zealand.

Pacific Magazines generates revenue through three primary streams: advertising sales across print and digital properties (the dominant stream), magazine subscriptions via Magshop, and creative studio services offering integrated advertising solutions and custom content production for brand partners. The company employs a sales-led go-to-market model with an enterprise advertising sales team targeting brands and marketers seeking to reach Australian female audiences. Pricing is quote-based across advertising packages and subscription products, not publicly disclosed.

Name

Pacific Magazines

Website

https://pacificmags.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Pacific Magazines (operating as Are Media) is Australia's leading omnichannel content company for women, operating 35 print and digital magazine brands. It serves Australian women readers and advertising brands through flagship titles like Australian Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, and Better Homes and Gardens, plus digital platforms and Magshop subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Media & Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines (MPAJAEAK), Beauty & Grooming Magazines (MPAJAEAE), Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

Keywords

• Women's lifestyle magazines
• Magazine publishing
• Digital content platforms
• Advertising media sales
• Magazine subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: Primary revenue stream from selling advertising space across 35 magazine brands in both print and digital formats. The company offers integrated advertising solutions including creative studio services.
2. Magazine Subscriptions: Revenue from magazine subscriptions sold through Magshop, the company's subscription and e-commerce platform.
3. Creative Studio Services: Integrated services including creative studio offerings for advertisers requiring custom content production.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pacific Magazines (operating as Are Media) is an Australian omnichannel content company that publishes a portfolio of 35 print and digital media brands targeting women. Its core offering is editorial content across lifestyle categories (beauty, fashion, home, food, entertainment, parenting), monetized primarily through advertising sales across print and digital inventory, recurring magazine subscriptions via its Magshop platform, and integrated creative/content services through a Creative Studio for brand partners.

Product overview

Are Media operates as a portfolio of 35 media brands spanning print magazines and digital platforms. The company offers a multi-brand content portfolio including flagship titles like Australian Women's Weekly, Woman's Day, New Idea, Better Homes and Gardens, and Elle, alongside digital platforms such as Beautycrew, BeautyHeaven, and Bounty Parents. The offering functions as a unified advertising and content platform where brands serve women across print readership (6 million readers monthly) and digital channels (20 million social connections), with products including Magshop for subscriptions and a creative studio for integrated advertising services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Australian Women's Weekly Iconic Australian women's monthly magazine covering news, health, and lifestyle content; distributed in print and digital.
• Woman's Day Long-running women's weekly magazine covering lifestyle, health, and celebrity content in print and digital formats.
• New Idea Weekly women's magazine covering news, entertainment, and lifestyle for Australian women.
• Better Homes and Gardens Home, garden, and lifestyle magazine for Australian women.
• Elle Fashion and beauty magazine for women, Australian edition.
• Marie Claire Fashion, beauty, and current affairs magazine for women.
• WHO Entertainment and celebrity news magazine.
• Take5 Weekly magazine offering quick reads and entertainment content.
• That's Life Weekly lifestyle and entertainment magazine.
• TV Week Television guide and entertainment magazine.
• Home Beautiful Home interior and lifestyle magazine.
• House & Garden Interior design and home styling magazine.
• Gourmet Traveller Luxury food and travel magazine.
• Country Style Lifestyle magazine celebrating rural and regional Australian living.
• Girlfriend Lifestyle magazine targeted at young women.
• Beautycrew Online beauty community and content platform targeted at beauty consumers.
• BeautyHeaven Online beauty community and product reviews platform for beauty shoppers.
• Bounty Parents Parenting content and resources platform for new and expecting parents.
• Cooking with AWW Recipe and cooking content platform operating as a digital extension of Australian Women's Weekly.
• Magshop Subscription Platform Direct e-commerce and subscription platform selling magazine subscriptions and related products across all Are Media brands.
• Creative Studio Services Integrated services including a creative studio offering custom content production and advertising solutions for brand partners.
• Are Media Books Book publishing and distribution arm extending Are Media's content into book format for selected magazine brands and special publications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 million print readers per month
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dotdash MeredithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDotdash Meredith is referenced as an advertising partner under the Are Media advertising section, indicating a collaborative relationship for cross-promoting advertising opportunities and media services between the two publishing companies.
• MagshopcoreTechnology or IntegrationMagshop is Are Media's subscription and e-commerce platform (magshop.com.au), providing digital infrastructure for magazine subscriptions, gift subscriptions, and related product sales across all Are Media brands.
• Are Media New ZealandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAre Media New Zealand (aremedia.co.nz) operates as a regional subsidiary extending Are Media's magazine publishing operations into the New Zealand market, distributing Australian and New Zealand content to NZ audiences.
• Are Media BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAre Media Books (aremediabooks.com.au) operates as a book publishing and distribution arm, extending Are Media's content capabilities into book format for selected magazine brands and special publications.
• InstagramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform used by Are Media for brand marketing and audience engagement. Are Media maintains an active presence at instagram.com/aremediaaus for corporate and brand content distribution.
• FacebookminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform used by Are Media for brand marketing and audience engagement. Are Media maintains presence at facebook.com/aremediaau for connecting with readers and extending brand reach.
• LinkedInminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional social media platform used by Are Media for corporate communications, recruitment, and B2B marketing. Company page available at linkedin.com/company/aremediaau.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mamamia: Australia's largest digital-native women's media company. Mamamia competes directly with Are Media for Australian women's attention and advertiser budgets, but operates without the legacy print cost base.

Broad incumbents

• Nine Entertainment: Major Australian media operator spanning broadcast, digital publishing and lifestyle content. Competes with Are Media for Australian women-focused advertising spend across streaming, digital and content properties.
• Seven West Media: Australian broadcaster and publisher with Pacific Magazines-style lifestyle content extensions. Overlaps in lifestyle and entertainment audience monetisation, particularly for advertising reaching Australian women.
• Future plc: UK-listed global multi-brand digital and magazine publisher operating lifestyle, entertainment and home verticals. Comparable operating model to Are Media in running many niche lifestyle brands at scale across digital and print.
• ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): Australia's public broadcaster with significant lifestyle, parenting and entertainment content reaching Australian women. Indirect competitor for audience attention and a structural reference point in the Australian media market.
• Dotdash Meredith: US-based digital and magazine publisher and stated Are Media advertising partner. Comparable as a multi-brand, multi-vertical lifestyle publisher monetising large female audiences through advertising and commerce.
• News Corp Australia: Largest Australian news and lifestyle publisher, with women's lifestyle, food and home titles plus broad digital reach. Overlaps with Are Media in lifestyle content and Australian female audience targeting, but operates a much wider portfolio.
• Hearst Magazines: Global magazine publisher (Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping) with international brand licensing arrangements. Directly comparable in magazine portfolio breadth, with brands like Elle licensed to Are Media in Australia.

Emerging players

• Pedestrian Group: Australian digital media group (Pedestrian.tv, Business Insider Australia, Gizmodo Australia) targeting younger, predominantly female-skewing lifestyle and culture audiences. An emerging competitor in the same audience segment Are Media monetises via social and digital.
• Junkee Media: Australian youth-focused digital publisher covering culture, lifestyle and entertainment. Competes for advertiser attention targeting younger Australian women, a demographic Are Media also targets via Girlfriend and digital brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aremediaau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-magazines
• Instagraminstagram.com/aremediaaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Magazines