American Media, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Soap Opera Digest

Soap Opera Digest Officially Joins AMI's Celebrity & Entertainment Group

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American Media, Inc.

Aug 06, 2012, 02:51 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- David J. Pecker, Chairman, President and CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI), today announced the acquisition of 37-year-old Soap Opera Digest, the authority for news and information for fans who are devoted to watching soap opera programming. 

AMI has been operating Soap Opera Digest under a licensing agreement from Source Interlink Media.  AMI closed the deal on July 20, 2012 with an ownership effective date of June 1, 2012.  Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine that has a circulation of over 200,000 and reaches over 4 million readers per week.

Soap Opera Digest will be a part of the AMI Celebrity & Entertainment Group.  Stephanie Sloane will remain Editor-In-Chief and David Jackson will remain Group Publisher of Soap Opera Digest.  They will report directly to David J. Pecker. 

Soap Opera Digest also continues to grow their fan base on the web and with social media, more than doubling in followers, fans and friends on both Twitter and Facebook over the past year.

"Soap Opera Digest is a very important strategic acquisition for AMI as it fits perfectly in the Celebrity & Entertainment Group," said David J. Pecker.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

About American Media, Inc.
American Media, Inc. owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and health and fitness media brands in the United States. AMI's titles include Star, OK!, National Enquirer, Globe, Soap Opera Digest, Shape, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health. AMI also manages 18 different digital sites including RadarOnline.com, OKmagazine.com, Shape.com, MensFitness.com, MuscleandFitness.com and FitPregnancy.com. AMI's magazines have a combined total circulation of almost 7 million and reach more than 55 million men and women each month. AMI's digital properties reach an average of 10 million unique visitors and 80 million page views monthly.

SOURCE American Media, Inc.