Kelsey Publishing Buys Motorsport News: What does it mean for the Industry?

Media company Kelsey Publishing has acquired the weekly newspaper, Motorsport News. This story is the latest in the Motorsport Network’s restructuring efforts.

Kelsey are no strangers to the motoring world, already running a number of classic car and performance magazines including Mini World and Classics Monthly as well as JapFest Donington and Silverstone. Of all the media companies who could have bought MN, Kelsey will be one of the most respected.

This is not the first time that the Motorsport Network has sold off a brand either, with a mooted sale of F1 Racing magazine in October, as well as Motorsport.tv closing its terrestrial channel and becoming online only in 2018. The company recently went back on a decision to increase the price of the Autosport weekly magazine to £10.99, after backlash from fans and industry figures.

The Motorsport Network has not been shy in it’s Digital-first approach and the President James Allen was clear in the press release.

“Kelsey Media is the right home for this long standing enthusiast’s title that will see it surviving into a new decade. Our focus is very clear; digital first with a slimmed down portfolio of print titles, to reflect our customer’s needs.”

It’s news that Matt James and his writers will be pleased to see, potentially saving the jobs of those that work there. A bastian of the British Motorsport coverage, MN has been (and remains) a weekly staple throughout the last few decades.

As the world increasingly looks to social media and online providers, the landscape of the industry is changing and it’s no surprise to see traditional media change accordingly.

F1 Racing magazine, another brand of the Motorsport Network was announced to be sold in 2019, though is now on course for a ‘rebranding’ in the near future, as plans for a sale have died down.

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, F1 Racing raked in 25,552 readers per issue in 2018, ahead of the Autosport Magazine on 14,142 per issue, though the latter is released weekly rather than monthly. No figures have yet been released about 2019.

Alternative Avenues

Meanwhile, many journalists have split or diversified their roles with one of the more notable new projects being the-race.com, who are set to launch before the new racing season. Active social media presence and former Autosport heavyweights Scott Mitchell and Ed Straw, as well as eRacing365’s Sam Smith, could signify the start of a new era for Motorsport Journalism. For Editor-in-Chief Glenn Freeman, the move not only severs the ties to Autosport but provides a serious challenge to the establishment.

His biggest challenge will be convincing fans.

For many years, Autosport (and to a lesser extent Motorsport.com) have placed themselves at the pinnacle of motorsport journalism, both in the UK and internationally. The allure of Formula 1 is no secret and the magazine readership numbers from F1 Racing vs Autosport seem like a no-brainer for the Motorsport Network.

Motorsport News places itself as the National Racing voice, yet it’s recent sale has put that in jeopardy. The Race is set for a soft launch this weekend covering Formula E exclusively through social media and so far has only announced teams for F1 and FE. Hardly grassroots reporting.

Following suit appear to be Autosport, with the recent reduction of Club coverage. As numbers and tighter profit margins become ever more apparent, exclusives from the paddock are harder to sell, especially with every young driver opening up about their personal life on social media.

Yet, this lack of media coverage could have a knock on effect, with drivers needing to convince sponsors to back them. The ToCA package, through it’s ITV4 broadcasting has remained relatively intact, yet with more social media promotion than ever before; drivers outside of this bubble have found it tougher to make ends meet.

Speaking to unnamed sources in 2019, one of the biggest hurdles many drivers had in attracting sponsors to TCR UK was the lack of traditional TV coverage, with many companies still relying upon old media metrics to gauge potential business. No matter how successful The Race or Influencers are in the future, (like the drivers they report on) the sponsors will have to follow them if their journalism is to be sustainable.

While the Motorsport Network has faced challenges in recent years, it continues to grow digitally, adding Motorsport Stats to its portfolio, signing deals with Formula E, the FIA and Canossa Events throughout last year.

Only time will tell.