Le Journal du Dimanche and Sport sign publishing partnership agreement

New magazine Sport Dimanche slated for launch on 25 May

Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and Sport have signed a partnership agreement, under the terms of which the weekly publication Sport will be enhanced with content specific to Dimanche and distributed as a new supplement in Le Journal du Dimanche without additional cost.
The new magazine, Sport Dimanche, will include two fresh columns dedicated to automobiles and sustainable development. The first issue, due out on 25 May 2008, will feature an exclusive interview with Yannick Noah to mark his Roland Garros victory of 25 years ago.

JDD rounds out its offering with a new supplement

The new supplement, which will focus on such topics as sporting events, major competitions, stars, adventure, casual sports and wellness, is the result of Le Journal du Dimanche’s recent decision to expand its publication range.
A magazine targeting male readers, Sport Dimanche is the perfect complement to Version Femina, JDD’s current supplement for the Paris region. This expansion of JDD’s publishing line is also a proactive move designed to increase reader loyalty and broaden its audience.
JDD has set its course for growth, and has already made remarkable progress in this regard. It currently has 1,358 million readers, 16% more than in 2006-2007 (source: EPIQ), and its real-time information site, leJDD.fr, has already attracted more than 800,000 unique visitors since its launch on 15 March 2007 (source: Nielsen, April 2008).

Christian de Villeneuve, editorial director for Le Journal du Dimanche, says, “With the particularly high number of sporting events scheduled for 2008, this was the perfect time for JDD to expand its publication range – which already offered significant sports coverage – by launching Sport Dimanche in partnership with Sport magazine. The supplement’s significant share of exclusive content suitable for Sunday release will help us attract new readers and widen our readership, lending impetus to our continued strong growth.”

Sport: 710,000 copies at 20,000 distribution points

Sport will still be distributed on Fridays, with 500,000 copies available at its 5,000 distribution points in major French cities.
The latest AEPM figures confirm a continuing trend toward strong growth: its readership has increased 40% over the past year. Sport is currently the leading men’s magazine in France in terms of reader affinity, with over 80% male readership.
The partnership with JDD will allow Sport to broaden its readership, reach new reader profiles and extend its coverage over the entire country, with over 210,000 copies of JDD sold at more than 15,000 points of sale.
Every week, 710,000 copies of Sport will be distributed via 20,000 distribution points.
Its website, myfreesport.com, has also attracted an average of 765,000 unique visitors per month over the past six months (source: Nielsen).

Christian Lamolinerie, chairman and CEO of Sport magazine, says, “In less than four years, Sport has gained exceptional recognition by providing original, high-quality coverage of sporting and adventure news for a largely male audience. Sport has a presence in both France and the UK through its magazines and its website, myfreesport.com. With JDD, Sport is strengthening its involvement in the production of sports content (nearly 40% of its sales) and demonstrating its ability to work with the media and advertisers in both print media and on the Internet.”