''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by

Time Out Group Time Out Group is a global media and entertainment company. Its digital and physical presence comprises websites, mobile editions, magazines, live events and markets. Time Out covers events, entertainment and culture in cities around the world. ...

. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became a free publication, with a weekly readership of over 307,000. ''Time Out''s global market presence includes partnerships with

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

and

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s for

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and Android operating systems. It was the recipient of the International Consumer Magazine of the Year award in both 2010 and 2011 and the renamed International Consumer Media Brand of the Year in 2013 and 2014.

History

''Time Out'' was first published in 1968 as a London listings magazine by Tony Elliott, who used his birthday money to produce a one-sheet pamphlet, with Bob Harris as co-editor. The first product was titled ''Where It's At'', before being inspired by Dave Brubeck's album '' Time Out''. ''Time Out'' began as an alternative magazine alongside other members of the

underground press The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rec ...

in the UK, but by 1980 it had abandoned its original collective decision-making structure and its commitment to equal pay for all its workers, leading to a strike and the foundation of a competing magazine, ''

City Limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

'', by former staffers. By now its former radicalism has all but vanished. As one example of its early editorial stance, in 1976, London's ''Time Out'' published the names of 60 purported

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

agents stationed in England. Early issues had a print run of around 5,000 and would evolve to a weekly circulation of 110,000 as it shed its radical roots. The flavour of the magazine was almost wholly the responsibility of its designer, Pearce Marchbank:

Marchbank was invited by Tony Elliott to join the embryonic ''Time Out'' in 1971. Turning it into a weekly, he produced its classic logo, ndestablished its strong identity and its editorial structure—all still used worldwide to this day. He also conceived and designed the first of the ''Time Out'' guide books. ... He continued to design for ''Time Out'' for many years. Each week, his powerful, witty ''Time Out'' covers became an essential part of London life.

Elliott launched ''Time Out New York'' (''TONY''), his North American magazine debut, in 1995. The magazine hired young and upcoming talent to provide cultural reviews for young New Yorkers at the time. The success of ''TONY'' led to the introduction of ''Time Out New York Kids'', a quarterly magazine aimed at families. The expansion continued with Elliott licensing the Time Out brand worldwide spreading the magazine to roughly 40 cities including Istanbul, Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Lisbon. Additional Time Out products included travel magazines, city guides, and books. In 2010, Time Out became the official publisher of travel guides and tourist books for the London 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

. ''Time Out''s need to expand to digital platforms led to Elliott, sole owner of the group until November 2010, to sell half of ''Time Out'' London and 66 percent of ''TONY'' to private equity group Oakley Capital, valuing the company at £20 million. The group, founded by

Peter Dubens Peter Adam Daiches Dubens (born 1966), is a British internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of Oakley Capital and its associated group of companies. He has earned a reputation for avoiding publicity. Early life and education He atten ...

, was owned by Tony Elliott and Oakley Capital until 2016, the agreement provided capital for investment to expand the brand. ''Time Out'' has subsequently launched websites for an additional 33 cities including Delhi, Washington D.C., Boston, Manchester and Bristol. when it was listed on London's AIM stock exchange. In June 2016, Time Out Group underwent an

IPO An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

and is listed on London's AIM stock exchange trading under the ticker symbol 'TMO'. The London edition of ''Time Out'' became a free magazine in September 2012. ''Time Out''s London magazine was hand-distributed at central London stations, and received its first official

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Certificate for October 2012 showing distribution of over 305,000 copies per week, which was the largest distribution in the history of the brand. This strategy increased revenue by 80 percent with continued upsurge. ''Time Out'' has also invited a number of guest columnists to write for the magazine. The columnist as of 2014 was

Giles Coren Giles Robin Patrick Coren (born 29 July 1969) is a British columnist, food writer, and television and radio presenter. He has been a restaurant critic for ''The Times'' newspaper since 2002, and was named Food and Drink Writer of the Year at the ...

. In April 2015, the New York edition also moved to the free-distribution model to increase the reader base and grow brand awareness. This transition doubled circulation by increasing its web audience, estimated to be around 3.5 million unique visitors a month. ''Time Out'' increased its weekly magazine circulation to over 305,000 copies, complementing millions of digital users of ''Time Out'' New York. Time Out New York is now available free every other Wednesday in vending boxes and newsstands across New York City. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, ''Time Out'' ceased producing paper copies of the magazine and switched to an online-only model. Temporarily

rebranding Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...

as ''Time In'', the publication also refocused its editorial content towards virtual events for people staying at home during the

lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

. In April 2022, it was announced that the print edition of London ''Time Out'' would finally cease after 54 years, with its last print run distributed on 23 June 2022. The magazine would continue to be published online.

Additional ventures

Time Out Market, 55 Water Street, Brooklyn NY

In addition to magazines and travel books and websites, Time Out launched Time Out Market, a food and cultural market experience based wholly on editorial creation, starting with the

Time Out Market Lisboa Time Out Market Lisboa is a food hall located in the Mercado da Ribeira at Cais do Sodré in Lisbon, Portugal. History Time Out Market Lisboa opened in May 2014, and is the first of several planned food hall ventures for Time Out magazine. T ...

in Lisbon, Portugal. New Time Out Markets opened in Miami, New York, Chicago, Boston and Montreal in 2019. A further pipeline of other global locations includes Dubai, London and Prague.

References

External links

''Time Out'' Global Homepage

"''Time Out'' to cut about 40 staff in UK and US"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Time Out Group 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom Lifestyle magazines published in the United Kingdom Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Cultural magazines published in the United Kingdom Entertainment magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1968 City guides Free magazines