Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Change of direction for Guardian Media?

The Guardian Media Group (GMG) is to undergo a change of strategy under plans drawn up by its new chief executive, Andrew Miller, reports today's Sunday Times print edition [not online].

The paper claims that GMG will be restructured by separating its newspapers - The Guardian and The Observer, and their websites - from the rest of its multi-media assets.

Those assets include its holdings in Trader Media Group and the b2b magazine publisher Emap - both jointly owned with private equity firm, Apax - plus radio stations and property websites.

The Sunday Times further claims that Miller is considering a sale or stock market listing of the lucrative Trader division. Its principal brand, the Auto Trader car magazine, could be worth more than £1.5bn with its associated websites.

This claim is a repetition of the story run by the Sunday Times on 17 October, Guardian mulls Trader sale [behind paywall].

It quoted a GMG spokesperson as saying: "Trader Media Group is a very strong business and well advanced in its digital transition, which makes it a valuable asset for GMG.

"No decisions have been made about either the timing or nature of our exit from this investment."

Source: Guardian.co.uk

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