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Football ace Rio Ferdinand to launch digital magazine

By Sally Newall

Digital magazine publisher Made Up Media is to launch a new title based around Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand.

The 24-page digital magazine will target 16- to 35-year-old “aspirational” men and will be made available to readers via an email subscription link on the England defender’s official site, RioFerdinand.com.

Iestyn George, the co-founder of Made Up Media and a former GQ and NME journalist, will edit the magazine. He said Ferdinand would take a “hands-on role” as editor-in-chief of the title.

“We will be taking an innovative approach to publishing using our own multi-platform page-turning digital magazine technology which allows us to deliver editorial content that you couldn’t deliver in a traditional magazine format,” George said.

“There will be content you can watch, listen to and download.”

Feature content will include sport, music, fashion, technology, cars and travel, with some celebrity interviews.

The first issue will be published in February 2009 with a plan to extend to a further five issues.

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The Ferdinand collaboration is the latest venture for the Brighton-based digital publishing company.

Since launching in July 2007, Made Up Media has created three sports websites – In Golf We Trust, rugby site Scrum of the Earth and football title Catflap.

In March last year, the company launched a customer publishing arm and has produced page-turning digital magazines for clients including sports broadcaster Setanta and ITV.com.

“At the moment the sky’s the limit,” George told Press Gazette.

“We’re a bunch of guys who have worked in traditional publishing, particularly the men’s magazine market.

“We’re very aware of the need to produce something compelling and different.”

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