Future US

{{Short description|American media company, founded 1994}}

{{For|the United Kingdom-based parent company|Future plc}}

{{redirect|Imagine Media|the British magazine publisher|Imagine Publishing}}

{{Use American English|date=October 2019}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Future US, Inc.

| logo =

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| type = Subsidiary

| industry = Publishing

| predecessor = {{Unbulleted list|Imagine Media|GP Publications}}

| founded = {{Start date and age|1994}}

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| hq_location_city = New York City

| hq_location_country = US

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| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Rachelle Considine (CEO)}}{{cite web |title=Bloomberg – Future US Inc |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/2901094Z:US |website=Bloomberg |access-date=30 July 2021}}

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| parent = Future plc

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Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, the corporation has offices in: Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C.{{Cite web |title=Contact |url=https://www.futureplc.com/contact/ |year=2019 |website=futureplc.com |publisher=Future plc |location=Bath, Somerset |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012183608/https://www.futureplc.com/contact/ |archive-date=12 October 2019 |access-date=12 October 2019}} Future US is owned by parent company, Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England.

History

The company was established when Future plc acquired struggling Greensboro (N.C.) video game magazine publisher GP Publications, publisher of Game Players magazine, in 1994.{{Cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Howard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKzSAgAAQBAJ&q=GP+Publications+1993+future+plc&pg=PA220 |title=Revolutions from Grub Street: A History of Magazine Publishing in Britain |last2=Mowatt |first2=Simon |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0199601639 |page=220}}

The company launched a number of titles including PC Gamer, and relocated from North Carolina to the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. When Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc he retained GP, renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and operated it as his sole company for a few years.{{Cite web |title=About Imagine |url=http://imaginemedia.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981212025828/http://www.imaginemedia.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 1998 |website=Imagine Media}}

Buoyed by the Internet economy and the success of Business 2.0 in the US (and subsequently in the UK, France, Italy and Germany), Future rode the boom of the late nineties. During this period the company won the exclusive worldwide rights to produce the official magazine for Microsoft's Xbox video game console and cemented its position as a leader in the games market. In the spring of 2001, buffeted by economic factors and the market downturn, Future Network USA went through a strategic reset of its business that included the closure of some titles and Internet operations and the sale of Business 2.0 to AOL/Time Warner.{{Cite web |title=Timeline: a history of magazines |url=http://www.magforum.com/time3.htm |publisher=Magforum.com |access-date=17 June 2019}}

On September 19, 2007, Nintendo and Future announced that Future US would obtain the publishing rights to Nintendo Power magazine. This came into effect with the creation of issue #222 (December 2007).{{Cite web |title=Future officially takes over Nintendo Power |url=http://www.nintendoforums.com/articles/49/future-officially-takes-over-nintendo-power |date=2007-10-12 |website=nintendoforums.com |access-date=2014-05-21}}

On October 1, 2007, it was announced that Future US would be making PlayStation: The Official Magazine, which ended up replacing PSM and first hit newsstands in November 2007. With this launch, Future US became the publisher of the official magazines of all three major console manufacturers in the US. PlayStation: The Official Magazine closed in 2012.{{Cite magazine |title=PlayStation: The Official Magazine Is Shutting Down |first=Erik |last=Kain |date=7 November 2012 |magazine=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/11/07/playstation-the-official-magazine-is-shutting-down/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=17 June 2019}}

In 2012, NewBay Media bought the Music division of Future US.{{Cite web |title=NewBay Media Buys Music Mags from Future US |url=https://www.foliomag.com/newbay-media-buys-music-mags-future-us/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070558/https://www.foliomag.com/newbay-media-buys-music-mags-future-us/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |date=13 January 2012 |website=Folio}}

In 2018, Future reacquired majority of the assets previously sold to NewBay by buying NewBay outright for {{USD|13.8 million}}.{{Cite web |title=Future plc Acquires NewBay Media for $13.8m |url=https://www.futureplc.com/2018/04/04/future-plc-acquires-newbay-media-for-13-8m/ |date=4 April 2018 |website=Future |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801190528/https://www.futureplc.com/2018/04/04/future-plc-acquires-newbay-media-for-13-8m/ |url-status=dead }} Future used this acquisition to expand its US footprint, particularly in B2B segment.{{Cite magazine |date=2018-04-04 |title=PennWell Corp. and NewBay Media acquired by UK firms |url=https://www.foliomag.com/pennwell-corp-newbay-media-acquired-uk-firms/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406004004/http://www.foliomag.com/pennwell-corp-newbay-media-acquired-uk-firms/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2018 |magazine=Folio |publisher=Access Intelligence, LLC |access-date=2018-12-17}}{{Cite magazine |last=Butts |first=Tom |title=Future Publishing acquires TV Technology parent NewBay Media |url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/future-publishing-acquires-tv-technology-parent-newbay-media |magazine=TV Technology |access-date=2018-12-17}}

In May 2021, Future US acquired the rights to Marie Claire from Hearst Communications.{{Cite web |last=Hopkins |first=Kathryn |date=2021-05-11 |title=Hearst Magazines Sells Marie Claire U.S. to Future |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/media/hearst-magazines-sells-marie-claire-us-to-future-1234821242/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805020844/https://wwd.com/business-news/media/hearst-magazines-sells-marie-claire-us-to-future-1234821242/ |archive-date=5 August 2021 |access-date=2021-08-05 |website=WWD |language=en-US}} Parent company Future plc already owned the rights to Marie Claire in the UK after its acquisition of TI Media in 2020.

In August 2024, Future US announced it would be closing Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News on September 30, 2024.{{Cite magazine |title=TV Industry Trade Outlets Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News Are Shutting Down |last=Spangler |first=Todd |magazine=Variety |date=2024-08-06 |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/broadcasting-cable-multichannel-news-shutting-down-1236097328/ |access-date=2024-08-07}}

Magazines and websites

=Current titles=

Its magazines and websites include:

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=Defunct titles=

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Notes

{{notelist}}

References