AVN CONSOLIDATES PUBLICATIONS; NEW PUBLISHER ANNOUNCED

AVN® Media Network, Inc., the largest and most respected trade journal for the adult entertainment industry, announced plans to consolidate four of their six print publications into one monthly trade magazine. Following the announcement that AVN® Media Network will consolidate all of its publications under its flagship title, AVN, beginning in September, the company on Tuesday named industry veteran Tony Lovett as vice president of AVN Media Network and publisher of the new magazine.

Lovett, the former publisher and editor of AVN Online and current publisher and editor-in-chief of AVN Novelty Business, has been around the industry almost as long as AVN has been in circulation.

“We are simply acting responsibly in a tumultuous market. This move reflects a trend of consolidation in the adult entertainment market itself, and allows us at the same time to return to our roots,” explains Darren Roberts, AVN’s CEO.

“Retailers, distributors, video producers, webmasters, sex toy manufacturers, lingerie designers, and other adult industry professionals can still rely on AVN to be the definitive trade publication for this diverse and robust industry,” continues Mr. Roberts. “However, today’s demand to deliver value to the advertiser is greater than ever before, and AVN is in the unique position of being able to leverage its 27 year-old brand in order to significantly expand the reach of its products and services.”

The trend in consolidation is not only pervasive within the adult entertainment industry, but is also ubiquitous in the print business as well. Last month, American Business Media’s Business Information Network reported business-to-business ad pages fell an average of 27 percent across the board in January 2009 compared to January 2008 (representing nearly 30 straight months of declining ad revenues for B2B magazines).

Paul Fishbein, AVN’s President, explains, “Magazine publishers in every business segment know that they must undergo strategic modifications, mainly consolidation, in order to remain competitive, and in many cases, to remain in business. Because AVN is in the print business and directly related to the adult industry, consolidation is a move for which we have been anticipating and planning for several months.”

“The rise of digital media, combined with a downturn economy, has definitely taken a bite out of traditional print advertising revenue, which enjoyed years of vigorous growth,” Fishbein continues. “This means that younger media brands or those that rely purely on print may not survive. On the other hand, a well-established, diversified brand such as AVN is perfectly poised to create new products and services that will provide a larger offering to advertisers, with the added advantage of our instant brand name recognition.”

AVN plans to expand their multi-platform advertising base to include a globally syndicated television and broadcast network, additional niche business events and an array of consumer products and services all designed to support their advertising clientele.