Milan

What Milan does

Milan Presse SAS, operating commercially as Milan Jeunesse, is a French children's and adolescent publishing house headquartered in Toulouse (31101 Cedex 9), France. Founded in 1980 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Groupe Bayard, Milan publishes more than 20 magazine titles spanning the full developmental range from early childhood (Babille, Picoti, Kolala, Histoires pour les petits, for 0-5 years) through primary school (J'aime Lire, Astrapi, Images Doc, Wapiti, 1jour1actu, MordeLIRE) to adolescence (Okapi, Phosphore, Je Bouquine, Julie, Yam Yam, So Foot Club, J'aime Lire Max). The flagship J'aime Lire is reported as the most-read children's magazine in France with 2.9 million readers, and Images Doc reportedly serves more than one million readers monthly.

The company's product architecture combines a print subscription core with a layered digital ecosystem. The BayaM streaming platform consolidates audiobooks, animated series, web series, documentary videos and creative activities from Bayard Jeunesse's editorial universe for children aged 3-12. The Maternelle Montessori mobile application delivers preschool pedagogy for ages 3-7, and the Merlin audio speaker and Story Cubes (cubes à histoires) extend the offering into hardware-based audio playback. Phosphore has been repositioned as a digital-first weekly delivered via SMS/WhatsApp notification with browser access and no app download required, bundled with the Cambridge Test & Train English-certification platform.

Milan's commercial model is overwhelmingly subscription-driven, sold direct-to-consumer through milan-jeunesse.com, with secondary school and institutional sales channels and distribution leverage from the parent Bayard Group. Recurring revenue streams include print magazine subscriptions (annual prepayment typically offering 2-12% discounts versus monthly billing), digital content subscriptions (BayaM and Maternelle Montessori at preferential rates for existing print subscribers), and accessory revenue from audio hardware and one-off activity kits. Pricing per title typically ranges from €5-€13 per issue, with annual plans of €60-€120. Geographic coverage is concentrated in France, with additional subscription reach into Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra and Monaco.

Name

Milan

Legal name

MILAN PRESSE

Website

https://milan-jeunesse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Milan Presse (dba Milan Jeunesse) is a Toulouse-based French children's publisher and Bayard Group subsidiary producing 20+ age-graded magazine titles, the BayaM digital platform, and audio/educational hardware for children aged 0-20, sold primarily via direct-to-consumer subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA), Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

Keywords

• Children's magazines
• Youth publishing
• Digital content platforms
• Educational subscriptions
• Audio products

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print and digital magazines for children and adolescents. Subscriptions offered with annual (preferential pricing with 2-12% discounts) or monthly billing options. Products organized by age groups: 0-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-20 years.
2. Digital Content Subscriptions: Revenue from BayaM platform subscriptions and Maternelle Montessori app, with preferential rates for existing magazine subscribers.
3. Audio Products: Sales of Merlin audio speaker hardware and audio content products for children.
4. Activity Boxes and Kits: Activity boxes and educational kits for children, including craft and learning materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Milan (Milan Presse) is a French children's media publisher, part of Groupe Bayard, that sells subscription-based print and digital magazines for children aged 0-20 years, along with a digital content platform (BayaM), a mobile educational app (Maternelle Montessori), audio hardware products (Merlin speaker, Story Cubes), and activity boxes. Products are sold primarily through direct-to-consumer subscriptions via milan-jeunesse.com, with institutional sales to schools and distribution through the Bayard Group network.

Product overview

Milan is a multi-platform children's media publisher belonging to the Bayard group, offering magazines, digital platforms, mobile applications, audio content, and hardware products for children from 9 months to 20 years. The portfolio is organized by age range: 0-5 years (Babille, Picoti, Kolala, Histoires pour les petits, Toupie, Wakou, J'apprends à lire), 6-10 years (Toboggan, Les Sisters le Mag, MordeLIRE, Wapiti, Curionautes des sciences, 1jour1actu, I Love English 5-8, J'aime lire, Astrapi, Images Doc), and 11-20 years (Julie, So Foot Club, Yam Yam, Phosphore, Okapi, Je Bouquine, J'aime Lire Max). The digital ecosystem includes BayaM (a cross-publisher digital platform), the Maternelle Montessori app, the Merlin audio speaker, and Story Cubes. Products are primarily sold via subscription with some available as individual issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BayaM: Digital platform for children offering audio books, animated series, and educational content
• Maternelle Montessori
• Merlin

Products and services

• J'aime Lire Monthly children's magazine for ages 7-10, the most-read children's magazine in France with 2.9 million readers, featuring a captioned novel, BD comics, games, and audio content.
• J'aime Lire Max Monthly magazine for ages 9-13 continuing the J'aime lire experience with longer stories, more BD comics, news, and puzzles for growing readers.
• Okapi Bimonthly magazine for ages 10-15, the essential companion for middle school years, covering news, society, science, culture, BD, debates and dossiers.
• Phosphore Weekly digital magazine for ages 13-19 covering current affairs, society, ecology, economy, culture with a bilingual section and Cambridge English test training platform included.
• Astrapi Bimonthly magazine for ages 7-11 combining news, reportages, BD, crafts, recipes, jokes and activities to help children understand the world and grow with confidence.
• Images Doc Monthly documentary magazine for ages 8-12 offering in-depth dossiers, spectacular images, historical BD, and science experiments with a companion podcast 'Qui a inventé?'.
• Je Bouquine Monthly reading magazine for ages 12-15 featuring unpublished novels, BD, culture news, and a writing workshop titled 'J'écris donc je suis'.
• Yam Yam Bimonthly magazine for ages 10-15 featuring 50% pop culture and 50% manga content, offering 100 pages of music, cinema, fashion, manga, and webtoon coverage.
• Wapiti Monthly nature and animal magazine for ages 7-12, a pioneer in animal press that sensitizes children to biodiversity and environmental protection.
• Julie Magazine for girls aged 10-14 covering adolescence topics, personal development, and culture with a personal journal section.
• So Foot Club Monthly football magazine for boys and girls aged 10-15, covering football news, clubs, players, and sports culture.
• Toupie Monthly magazine for ages 3-6 introducing young children to reading with stories, BD, and age-appropriate activities.
• Wakou Monthly nature magazine for ages 4-7 helping young children discover animals and the natural world.
• Picoti Magazine for babies and toddlers from 9 months to 3 years, introducing first sensory and reading experiences.
• Babille Magazine for babies and toddlers from 0-5 years, part of the 0-5 years product range.
• Kolala Magazine for babies and toddlers from 0-5 years, part of the 0-5 years product range.
• Histoires pour les petits Magazine for babies and toddlers from 0-5 years featuring stories, part of the 0-5 years product range.
• Toboggan Magazine for children aged 6-10 in the 6-10 years product range.
• Les Sisters le Mag Magazine for children aged 8-11 based on the popular Les Sisters comic series.
• MordeLIRE Magazine for book-loving children aged 7-11, offering book recommendations, previews, and literary culture.
• Curionautes des sciences Monthly science magazine for children aged 7-12 exploring scientific topics through adventure stories, experiments, and discoveries.
• 1jour1actu Weekly news magazine for children aged 8+, explaining current events simply and adapted to young readers.
• I Love English 5-8 ans English language learning magazine for children aged 5-8, part of the 6-10 years product range.
• BayaM Digital platform for children aged 3-12 offering audiobooks, animated series, creative activities, web series, documentary videos, and interactive content across Bayard Jeunesse's magazine universes.
• Maternelle Montessori App Mobile application for children aged 3-7 based on Montessori pedagogy, offering early learning activities.
• Merlin Audio Speaker Audio speaker device designed for children to listen to stories and audio content from Milan magazines and BayaM platform.
• Story Cubes (Cubes à histoires) Physical audio storytelling cubes for children aged 3-10 that trigger audio story playback, companion product to the digital platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• J'aime Lire has 2.9 million readers, making it the most-read children's magazine in France
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bayard GroupcoreOthersMilan Presse is a subsidiary of Bayard Group, France's leading Catholic media group and one of the largest magazine publishers. Bayard Group provides editorial expertise, distribution infrastructure, customer service, and digital platform capabilities including BayaM streaming platform and Cambridge Test & Train integration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bayard Presse: Milan's parent company and France's leading Catholic and children's media group; operates overlapping youth and family titles (e.g., Astrapi siblings, Bayard Jeunesse) with shared infrastructure, distribution, and the BayaM platform. Best-fit as a broad incumbent within the same group rather than an independent peer.
• Gallimard Jeunesse: Premier French children's publisher (part of Madrigall), spanning books and educational magazines. Competes with Milan for French school and family subscriptions and represents a similar broad-based incumbent in the children's editorial market.
• Hachette Jeunesse: Major French children's publishing imprint under Hachette Livre offering magazines, books, and partworks for similar age groups. Competes with Milan on retail shelf space, school subscriptions, and parenting brand attention within the same French market.
• Scholastic: US children's book and educational media publisher (Scholastic News, classroom magazines, book fairs). Comparable in school-channel distribution, age-segmented educational magazines, and parent-child reading programs.
• Disney Publishing Worldwide: Global children's content publisher with massive IP library, magazine titles, and digital platforms. Overlaps with Milan in children's editorial and competes for the same parental subscription dollars and children's attention.

Direct peers

• Cricket Media: US publisher of age-segmented children's magazines (Cricket, Cobblestone, Ask, Muse). Operates the same model of recurring subscriptions across multiple age cohorts with educational content — directly comparable to Milan's age-tiered magazine portfolio.
• Highlights for Children: US-based children's magazine publisher with flagship Highlights magazine and age-segmented titles. Closely comparable subscription magazine model, age-based content segmentation, and multi-format strategy (print + digital + activity boxes) to Milan.
• Fleurus Editions: French children's book and magazine publisher (part of Hachette Livre / Lagardère) producing titles for the same 0-12 age segments. Directly competes with Milan across French children's publishing with comparable age-segmented magazine and activity-book products.

Regional players

• Time for Kids: Classroom news magazine from TIME targeting school-age children, similar to Milan's 1jour1actu and Phosphore. Comparable school-channel current-events product for similar age groups, primarily in the US market.
• Egmont Publishing: Scandinavian-based children's publisher (part of Egmont Foundation) producing magazines and books for similar age groups in Nordic markets. Comparable in age-segmented children's editorial products but operates in a different geographic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/milan

Compliance1 record

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 Milan