AVTech Media Ltd (UK) Acquires Home Tech Network From Ten Publishing Media

AVTech Media Ltd (UK) has purchased the Home Tech Network from TEN: The Enthusiast Network, it was announced today. The Home Tech Network's six brands including Stereophile, Sound & Vision, Shutterbug, AnalogPlanet, Audiostream, and Innerfidelity will join with AVTech Media's Hi-Fi News, Hi-Fi Choice, Home Cinema Choice and the Hi-Fi Show Live. The new company creates a global powerhouse delivering the largest single specialized AV group on the planet, reaching more than three million enthusiasts/CE consumers through print, digital, social, video and events.

"The synergy between these iconic magazines and websites from both the UK and USA is clear, as are the distinctive brand propositions and target markets of each property. With an ambition to leverage these unique qualities, particularly in the digital space, AVTech Media will offer a diversity and scale that could not otherwise be achieved—delivering a reach into passionate, opinion-forming audiences that is unmatched in specialist AV publishing."—Paul Miller, Director AVTech Media Ltd/AVTech Media Americas Inc., Hi-Fi Show Live Organiser, President of EISA.

The US-based operation will continue to be headed-up by Keith Pray, a 20-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry based in New York City.

"The sheer power and breadth of this newly formed group make the possibilities endless and having a truly strong foothold in the United Kingdom, United States and international market will help us further grow", said Pray, who has served as the General Manager of the Home Tech Network for the past eight years. "My team and I are thrilled to combine forces with the outstanding team at AVTech Media."—Keith Pray, General Manager AVTech Media Americas Inc.

COMMENTS
Anton's picture

Either way, I hope this means bigger listening rooms and happy experiences for all you folks!

dalethorn's picture

Looks like a great move. I have a lot of interaction with U.K. hi-fi.

digilog's picture

"Dale Thorne" ... you have such a British name! I'm sure you'll fit right in, toots ;)

dalethorn's picture

It's good to feel like part of the Commonwealth again.

Bubbamike's picture

JA is now reunited with his past as he joins the same organization as HiFi News from whence he came. I think this should be exciting. It would be nice to see some comparison articles like those that run in Hifi Choice.

latinaudio's picture

None of the British mags are up to the level of their US counterparts, specially Stereophile and Analog Planet. Dated in style, shallow in ideas, more oriented to the commercial side of the hobby, those shores seem better scenario for the aficionado level rather than the serious and knowledged hifi enthusiast.
Sorry, JA... so please keep the level we are accustomed to.
On a positive side, maybe we will be exposed to many brands of excellent European HiFi equipment, starting with the German and Swiss... fingers crossed. Art, Herb, Mickey: stay on board !!!

PAR's picture

Yes, UK magazines are not just like USA ones. Firstly the USA has 5 times the population of the UK and thus any single American magazine has the potential to earn substantially more income than their UK equivalent. More income means that more can be spent upon editorial.

Secondly audio equipment is substantially more expensive to British enthusiasts due, in part, to the fact that we (I am British) have to pay 20% tax on each purchase. Furthermore due to income levels and the expense of living in the UK ( especially in the South East where the greatest density of the population is) leave little disposable income for many. Thus the most popular purchases of audio equipment here are in the lower price brackets or used. HiFi News even reviews a component which is only available in the used market each month.

So British magazines, unremarkably, reflect the British market.

I am a subscriber to both HI Fi News and Stereophile and have been for many years. Both John Atkinson's Stereophile and Paul Miller's Hi Fi News are great magazines if naturally different in certain aspects. One should not bracket UK magazines aimed at the casual purchaser like What HiFi with them. These are pretty shallow because their audience has a shallow interest.

I am sure that the purchase of the American stable by AV Tech will be a good thing. As far as I am able to ascertain they seem to let their magazines continue much as they were in editorial content terms. At least Hi Fi News only seems to me to have improved over recent years so I harbour no fears for Stereophile and its stablemates.

Sadly you probably will not be exposed to more European equipment as no magazine will normally review items that are not available in their home market ( Stereophile has a policy of a minimum number of USA dealars before a review can be slated). Even here in the UK we only see a fraction of other EU brands and that may be even fewer after Brexit is completed.

latinaudio's picture

...Sir. Your comment shed light to this forum. I hope the changed hands would be for the better.
As I said: fingers crossed...

PAR's picture

The co-director of AV Tech Media is also the editor of HiFi News. So Stereophile will now be partly in the hands of a real audio enthusiast. However the news story here seems to be formed from a release from AV Tech media itself and says "Paul Miller, Director AVTech Media Ltd/AVTech Media Americas Inc., Hi-Fi Show Live Organiser, President of EISA. ". Note it does not indicate that Paul Miller is the editor of HFN.

I think that Dr. Miller has done a superb job of bringing HFN back from the brink of just being a " What shall I buy" superficial buyer's guide to its origins as an audio and music publication focussed on true enthusiasts.

I hope that this purchase has not added so much to Dr. Miller's workload that he is to relinquish his editorship ( especially as he carries out the bulk of the measurements).

rt66indierock's picture

Paul Miller has a lot of incentive for HFN to do well. His company owns just under 25% of AVTech Media Ltd.

foxhall's picture

How long before AVTech Media Ltd. buys the Absolute Sound?

rt66indierock's picture

I’m sorry Paul (Miller) there will be no synergy or place to leverage these brands. All this acquisition did was create your own echo chamber.

Keith (Pray) in a similar vein this group will have no global power or breadth. The companies are too small. Let’s review 2016 publically available information, AVTech Media Ltd reports as a small company as do its owners Mytime Media Ltd and Miller Audio Research Ltd. Mytime Media Ltd is owned by Mytime Media Group a small company. Mytime Media Group Ltd is owned by Mytime Media Holding Ltd a small company. Mytime Media Holding Ltd is a small company owned by two individuals and venture capital company.

The simple fact is the Home Tech Network did not fit the demographics of The Entertainment Network or their joint venture partner Discovery.

dalethorn's picture

If I remember correctly, the people reading these comments are customers, not investors. So who cares about leverage or globalism?

rt66indierock's picture

I was responding to the press release. I thought Stereophile readers should know the magazine was purchased by a very small company.

dalethorn's picture

Once again, how does this inform me, the customer? How does it impact the readers here?

tonykaz's picture

I had an employe with a small ( tiny ) Ford that had a 1.3 Liter engines which itself was an up-grade from the standard issue 1.1 Liter Engine. The tiny little car would overheat because it didn't get the larger radiator. That was mid 1980s when I was then driving an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Station Wagon with a 425 Cu.in 4Barrel getting an "honest" 6 miles per gallon. Phew.

Those Brits are pretty darn good Engineers, I loved working with them.

and......

...I'm pleased that its the Brits and not the Chinese.

Tony in Michigan

rt66indierock's picture

The Chinese have Audiotechnique they don't need anything else. I consider Lincoln Chen the editor and Rebecca Chin the publisher to be the most powerful people in high end audio today. And very nice people. I see them at RMAF.

tonykaz's picture

In the World that I live in the Customer is the "Most Powerful".

It's hard to find Chin or Chen in a Google Search.

Maybe I'll meet them, one day but I probably won't.

Chinese Labor is getting expensive. China is now bringing in young labor from places like Viet Nam.

Tony in Michigan

ps. China is presenting some nice Audio Gear i.e. Prima Luna, Emotive, Parasound, Golden Ear and a few others but can they ( or will they ? ) service in a few years?

rt66indierock's picture

I'm talking about a publication. A big thick one.

In high end audio if the customer was powerful people wouldn't appeal to authority. And I would never hear I agree with some writer or editor. People would know enough or learn enough to make up their own minds.

As for you're PS a lot companies are in the same boat.

tonykaz's picture

Right now, on Ebay, someone in China is selling New Cloned Pass Amplifiers to the Global Marketplace.

China is Anarchy with the "Winner" winning the race to the bottom while destroying Credibility.

Supporting Chinese philosophies is supporting and encouraging theft.

It's difficult to reward folks that speak in support of China.

A positive is that a language barrier exists, it's out moat.

Tony in Michigan

ToeJam's picture

with your main point Tony, money and corporations, with a big assist from our government, are all too happy to bridge over our moat.

tonykaz's picture

You're right,

Corporations, thru "Citizens United", control Washington.

They like buying cheap labor and can now go where Labor is cheap. ( like what our Golden Ear is doing ).

Low Import Tariffs "Breach the Moat"

followed by the Internet lubricating the Sales & Distribution

and intrastate tax-free shipping delivering product.

Tough competition !

Buying China is death by a thousand cuts.

Tony in Michigan

ps. I was an Importer

jon9091's picture

What a crap move. Not gonna bother renewing my subscription. Jana’s contributions were what made this site interesting.

shawnwes's picture

Her videos, esp with Herb, were the best I'd seen in the audio reporting business. She's a talented young woman and will land on her feet I'm sure.

Psychedelicious's picture

Goodbye dear Stereophile, my favorite magazine of my youth. Now just a foreign-owned turd being flushed into the sewer.

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