Heat magazine goes online with Heatworld

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 18-May-07, 09:00

LONDON - Emap's Heat magazine is launching its own website on Tuesday in a bid to offer readers a 'daily fix' of breaking celebrity news combined with Web 2.0 interactivity.

The eight-year-old magazine has hit its highest sales level to date at 598,623 copies per week and already has a presence on radio and mobile platforms.

The launch of Heatworld.com is designed to give the title a more interactive dimension, with staff contributing blogs and readers able to create their own profiles and comment on stories.

It will also bring in valuable digital advertising revenue for Emap, with Rimmel London and Impulse already signed up as sponsors.

Kurt Edwards, digital head of sales, said: "Heat is unique and a huge brand that offers advertisers a trusted environment in a very busy women's market. Its magazine, radio, mobile and online presence will allow us to deliver some exceptional campaigns and commercial opportunities."

The editorial aspects of the site will be overseen by Julian Linley as digital editor.

The site was designed by digital agency Splendid and conceived by Heat's editor-in-chief Mark Frith and Emap Entertainment's digital business director Rebekah Billingsley.

Emap said its goal is for the website to become the number one online source for celebrity gossip.

It is not the first gossip magazine to have an online presence, having been beaten by IPC's Now, while its sister Emap title Closer is represented by the Closer Diets website.

Comments

S J Rutledge - 18/05/2007

That would suggest Closer is transmogrifying into a DIETS mag and Heat will absorb the Celeb stuff

Corniel Quak-Winslow - 23/08/2007

Perhaps they will score just as well with customers as their actual magazine, they won a customer award on Review Centre http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews9601.html