Exceptional publishing skills and a clearly defined vision have produced a stable of market leading titles and services at Touchline Media, which have made a profound contribution to the South African sports and healthy lifestyle publishing industry.
Touchline Media’s mission is to build brands and complementary profitable divisions in the fields of sports and healthy lifestyle that dominate and endure.
Our vision is to be the dominant sports and healthy lifestyle media company in South Africa.Touchline Media forms part of the media giant, Naspers – South Africa’s largest media company with interests in pay television (M-Net, Multichoice & DSTV), newspapers (Beeld, City Press, Rapport, Die Burger, Daily Sun, etc), magazines (Fair Lady, You, Huisgenoot, True Love, Woman’s Value, Dit, FHM, Sarie, Heat, etc) websites such as News24 as well as printing, distribution and book publishing.
Media 24 is the division of Naspers looking after its magazines, newspapers and content provision. In 1996 Media 24 purchased a 50% stake in the Touchline Media business and in 1999 this shareholding was increased so that Touchline Media is now wholly owned by Media 24.
Magazine Publishing
Touchline Media began its life in 1989 as a sports publisher, bringing readers across the country news, features, images and information ‘from the touchline’. Its titles included SA Sports Illustrated, Kick Off, Runner’s World and Golf Digest.But with the launch of powerhouse global brand Men’s Health in 1997, the company diversified its offering to become a lifestyle publisher.
Then, in the year 2000, it entrenched its position in the lifestyle arena with the launch of Shape magazine, thus becoming a leading player in both the male and female lifestyle markets. Subsequently a custom magazine was introduced as Touchline Media began publishing Discovery magazine. In 2003 the company added Bicycling magazine and the following year launched Fit Pregnancy.
By 2006 Touchline Media went on to develop a fully-fledged custom publishing division within its stable with the addition of the British Airways in-flight title, Horizons and Khaluma the in-flight magazine for Kalula.
