Dennis Publishing

Foundation and early development

Felix Dennis started in the magazine business in the late 1960s as one of the editors of the counterculture magazine OZ.^[1] In the mid-1970s, Dennis Publishing was born, beginning with a kung-fu magazine, Kung Fu Monthly.^[2]

Dennis followed this up in the early 1980s by publishing titles in the emerging computer enthusiast sector, including Your Spectrum (later renamed Your Sinclair and sold to Future Publishing). Dennis has since maintained a foothold in the computer magazine business – until Maxim's success in the US in the late 1990s, computer magazines were the mainstay of Dennis' magazine holdings, second only to Future Publishing in the UK.

In 1987 the publisher was renamed from Sportscene Specialist Press to Dennis Publishing.

Dennis Publishing, Inc. published one of the most successful modern men's lifestyle magazines in America – Maxim (2.5 million rate base)^[1] – along with Stuff (1.3 million rate base) and general interest music magazine Blender (800,000 rate base).^[3] Maxim, Stuff and Blender are registered trademarks of Felix Dennis.

2000–present

On 5 February 2005, Maxim Radio was launched on Sirius Satellite Radio. On 12 November 2008, Sirius and XM merged, and five days later Sirius XM Stars Too debuted on Sirius Satellite Radio on Sirius 108 and XM 139. In May 2011, Stars Too moved to channel 104 on both services.^[4]

On 15 February 2007, Dennis Publishing, Inc. announced that it had retained media investment firm Allen & Company as its exclusive financial advisor to explore various strategic alternatives available to the company including a possible sale of the company.^[5][6] In June 2007, all of Dennis's United States holdings – minus the U.S. edition of The Week – were sold to the private equity firm Quadrangle Group. This included the editions of Maxim, Stuff and Blender.^[7]

In January 2008, Dennis Publishing acquired the online news site The First Post for an undisclosed sum.^[8] In February, Dennis Publishing announced the launch of iGizmo, a free fortnightly interactive digital magazine dedicated to gadgets and consumer technology, launching on 11 March. In November, Dennis Publishing acquired the online games and hardware enthusiast website Bit-Tech for an undisclosed sum.^[9]

For 2012, Dennis Publishing, producing more than 50 magazines, increased its group pre-tax profits by 35% year-on-year from £4.1m to £5.5m. Group operating profit climbed almost 12% to £4.9m. Group turnover, excluding share of joint venture revenues, rose slightly year on year to just over £70m. Revenues including joint ventures climbed 3% to £77.7m. Operations in the UK accounted for almost 84% of total revenues.^[10]

Since Felix Dennis' death in 2014, Dennis Publishing has been owned by the Heart of England Forest Charity,^[11] set up by Dennis with the mission of "the plantation, re-plantation, conservation and establishment of trees for the benefit of the public, together with the education of the public by the promulgation of knowledge and the appreciation of trees".^[12]

In July 2017, Dennis Publishing acquired MoneyWeek, UK's best-selling financial magazine.^[13] The speculated figure for the acquisition was £150 million ($197 million).^[2]

In July 2018, the publisher was bought by Exponent, a British private equity firm.^[2] The proceeds from the sale will go to the Heart of England Forest charity.^[2]