Esquire Middle East

What Esquire Middle East does

Esquire Middle East is a men's lifestyle magazine and digital publishing platform serving affluent MENA consumers, operated by ITP Media Group in Dubai under license from Hearst Communications (owner of the Esquire brand). The publication targets well-to-do Middle Eastern men with editorial coverage across six verticals: News, Style, Culture, Food and Drink, Sports, and Gear, with sub-sections in fashion, watches, accessories, cars, technology, bars, restaurants, and lifestyle content. Notable recurring franchises include the annual 50 Best Restaurants in the Gulf rankings and regional sports coverage including the Arab teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The site is published in English with a parallel Arabic-language edition at ar.esquireme.com and maintains a newsroom distributed across authors such as editorial director Matthew Baxter-Priest, Emile Zarife, and contributing writers.

The underlying platform is WordPress/Newspack by Automattic, a standard publishing CMS without proprietary AI or advanced technology layers. Content distribution extends across owned digital channels and social platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, supplemented by a newsletter subscription program and an e-commerce Shop integration via issue.sx for branded merchandise.

The business model is advertising-led, monetizing audience attention through branded content, sponsored articles (termed "Partnership content"), and luxury brand features with documented advertisers including Binance, Woodford Reserve, Macallan, BMW, Richard Mille, Hublot, Breitling, and Loro Piana. A secondary subscription newsletter stream captures first-party audience data via a free A-to-Z of Men's Fashion guide lead magnet, while commerce/affiliate referral through the Shop section provides a third monetization lever. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, indicating a lean editorial operation that leverages ITP Media Group's broader regional infrastructure for sales, distribution, and back-office functions.

Name

Esquire Middle East

Legal name

ITP Media Group

Website

https://esquireme.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Esquire Middle East is a Hearst-licensed men's lifestyle magazine and digital platform operated by ITP Media Group in Dubai, delivering editorial content on fashion, watches, cars, dining, sports, and culture to affluent consumers across the MENA region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Men's Lifestyle Digital Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Men’s Interest Magazines (MPAJAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Men's lifestyle magazine
• Digital publishing
• Fashion editorial
• Luxury brand advertising
• Regional lifestyle media

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Brand advertising within editorial content, sponsored articles (noted as 'Partnership content'), luxury brand features, and branded partnerships with companies such as Binance, Woodford Reserve, and Macallan
2. Subscriptions: Newsletter subscription model offering readers free A-to-Z of Men's Fashion guide upon signup
3. E-commerce/Shop: Shop section directing to external store for merchandise

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Esquire Middle East is a men's lifestyle magazine and digital publication that produces and distributes editorial content covering fashion, watches, cars, food and drink, culture, sports, and technology for affluent men across the Middle East and North Africa. The publication is operated by ITP Media Group from Dubai under license from Hearst Communications and monetizes its audience primarily through brand advertising, sponsored editorial content, and newsletter subscriptions.

Product overview

Esquire Middle East is a men's lifestyle magazine and digital platform offering comprehensive coverage across fashion, culture, food and drink, sports, and gear. The publication operates as a content platform with integrated services including a newsletter subscription and e-commerce shop. Content is organized into main sections (News, Style, Culture, Food and Drink, Sports, Gear) and a Brief sub-section with business updates, events, and galleries. The publication is known for its annual 50 Best Restaurants in the Gulf rankings and in-depth interviews with regional and international personalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Esquire Middle East Magazine

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Vogue Arabia: Condé Nast-licensed fashion/lifestyle title based in Dubai; competes for the same luxury brand advertising budgets and regional affluent audience, though oriented more toward women's and unisex fashion coverage.
• Grazia Middle East: ITP Media Group-published fashion and lifestyle magazine for the GCC; sister publication under the same operator, sharing advertiser relationships and distribution infrastructure.
• Cosmopolitan Middle East: Another ITP Media Group-published lifestyle title in the region; indirectly comparable as a regional magazine operator sharing sales infrastructure and audience overlap.

Emerging players

• Hypebeast: Digital-first men's streetwear, culture, and lifestyle platform with strong MENA audience; represents the kind of younger, social-native competitor challenging traditional magazine brands.
• Highsnobiety: Digital men's fashion, culture, and gear publisher with global reach; competes for the same affluent millennial/Gen-Z male reader and brand collaborators in fashion and gear.
• The Rake: Luxury men's style and culture publication covering watches, fashion, and grooming; appeals to the same affluent male reader segment and overlapping luxury watch/style advertisers.

Direct peers

• GQ Middle East: Direct competitor targeting affluent MENA men with fashion, culture, and lifestyle content; also a Hearst/ITP licensed title operating from Dubai with similar audience and advertisers.
• Men's Health Middle East: Another Hearst-licensed men's lifestyle magazine operating in the MENA region; competes for the same affluent male reader and overlapping sports/fitness/gear advertisers.
• Esquire (US): The original Hearst-owned Esquire brand in the US; the direct parent brand and editorial template from which Esquire ME derives its positioning, content verticals, and commercial playbook.

Broad incumbents

• Robb Report: Established global luxury lifestyle publication covering watches, cars, travel, and style; overlaps with Esquire ME's gear, style, and culture verticals and competes for premium brand partnerships worldwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EsquireME
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ESQUIREMiddleEast
• Facebookfacebook.com/EsquireME
• Instagraminstagram.com/esquiremiddleeast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esquire-middle-east

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Esquire Middle East