Future buys Cyclingnews & Procycling, 5 years after selling them

Keep up at the back: The cycle media merry-go-round has moved at speed recently, with Internet Fusion buying Factory Media assets (including Mpora and Dirt Mountain Bike) and US trade title Bicycle Retailer going to Pocket Outdoor Media in the last few weeks.

Now Future has bought the Cyclingnews site and Procycling mag from Immediate Media, five years after selling those titles and other heavy hitters like BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and MBUK to Immediate.

On the face of it, Future’s renewed interest in cycling is unexpected (and comes weeks after it sold trade title BikeBiz). According to Future CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne, the acquisition will expand Future’s presence in the sport and outdoor leisure vertical and is “a clear demonstration of our strategy to leverage enduring content on our technology platform to further diversify our revenue streams”.

Byng-Thorne added: “You may remember that these brands were originally published by Future before we sold them to Immediate Media in 2014. Buying them back is a special moment for us to honour a piece of our heritage and a fantastic opportunity to expand our portfolio.”

For those keeping score, BikeRadar owner Immediate Media recently bought Upper Street Events & Cycle Show while broadcaster Discovery took a controlling stake in Plays Sports Group & SHIFT Active Media.