BBC Worldwide Press Releases

BBC History Magazine is now available in Sweden following a licensing deal between BBC Magazines and Swedish publishers First Publishing.

The first monthly issue of BBC History Magazine's Sweden edition (dated April 2011) went on sale 31 March 2011. It is edited by Olof Jisborg, an experienced editor who has worked at First Publishing since 2005. Approximately 30% will contain local content produced in Sweden, with the remaining 70% of content taken from the UK edition. The cover price is SEK 99 and it will have an initial print run of 25,000 copies.

The deal follows the success of a Swedish edition of BBC History Magazine's World War II special, which went on sale in Sweden in December 2010.

Patrick Ekelius, Managing Director of First Publishing, said: "BBC History is a high-quality magazine and we are very pleased to be publishing the Swedish edition. The BBC brand is strong and well-respected in Sweden and, combined with the popularity of history in our country, we believe the title will do very well in the market."

Joanna Marshall, Head of International Licensing and Syndication at BBC Magazines, said: "We are delighted to have secured this licensing deal for BBC History Magazine is Sweden. It is the second new launch of the title in as many months, and we have every confidence that First Publishing will make it a big success."

NOTES TO EDITORS
BBC History Magazine (UK) has a circulation of 69,353 (ABC Jul-Dec10), up 7.2% year on year. It is now published under licence in Italy and Sweden.

First Publishing is a leading Swedish publishing house, established in 2002. It now publishes around 120 titles a year, including Sweden's largest photography magazine, DigitalFoto, and its spin-off magazines FotoGuiden and PhotoshopGuiden. First Publishing Group is renowned in the field of technology publishing, but also publishes several lifestyle magazines such as In Touch, FirstPoker and Kom i form (health and fitness).

Sarah Williams-Robbins