FHM print magazine returns to Australia
The relaunch issue of FHM Australia is out now
FHM is back in print in Australia, targeting men who “train harder, think bigger, and still appreciate the perfect cover girl”.
The original iteration of the magazine was published in Australia by EMAP and then ACP Magazines between 1998 and 2012, using the popular British lads mag format.
It’s now been revived in Australia by Michael Downs and Nuclear Media, which also publishes Women’s Fitness, It Girl, and Krash.
Nuclear Media previously had the licence to Maxim in Australia. In the Maxim media kit for 2023-2024, Nuclear Media said the magazine had an estimated readership of 200,000-plus, as well as 1.23 million page impressions per month, and 150,000 to 200,000 unique browsers per month.
“Maxim as a brand became tired. It was time for a reset. FHM will be similar to Maxim, but more polished and with a far greater legacy and history Down Under,” Downs, the CEO of Nuclear Media, told Mumbrella.
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The cover price for the October relaunch issue, out now, is $12.99. A six-issue subscription will cost $49.95, while 12 months and 12 issues is $89.95.
Downs said FHM and Nuclear Media are here for a good time, and advertisers and readers can expect “a brand that speaks to men, the way they want to be spoken to. Irreverent, unapologetic and pandering to nobody”.
“We’re a reader-first publisher, not profit-first. You can see this through our children’s magazines, Krash and It Girl that still publish monthly in print because kids want it that way, even though it is no longer the most optimised frequency commercially,” Downs said.
Old Maxim Australia magazines have now been rebadged on the website
“FHM will be the same. It’ll make a strong profit, don’t get me wrong, but success will be measured, for us, solely on how the content resonates with men 18-50 – not necessarily the broader public who seem to be offended by everything these days – how many people attend our events, how our models enjoy and receive our FHM Escapes global tours, and so on.
“Commercial success will follow, as long as it’s not the primary focus. We’re a privately-owned company with no shareholders or JV partners to answer to, so we have that benefit over most media outlets.”
It’s a difficult time for print media in Australia, however, with Rolling Stone AU/NZ recently revealing it was “moving away from a fixed quarterly cadence” and making a number of redundancies.
Downs pushed back on this notion, saying FHM Australia wasn’t just about print.
“Print is in decline, but we are not launching a print magazine. That’s just one part of the FHM media pie. We are re-launching a much-loved brand for men, that will include regular events, a website, socials, and FHM Escapes tours,” he said.
The relaunch issue includes content on footy finals season, the Bathurst 1000 and “the AI girlfriend”.
In further print-related news, the Mumbrella Publish Conference will take place on 28 October at the State Library of NSW. Sessions announced so far include Rethinking Revenue for the Next Era of Media, and Publishers & The Answer Economy: Shaping What People Buy, Back & Believe.
