Zhao Wei

　　Market briefs

　　There are only 20 publications classified as men's magazines in China's magazine market, according to China Periodicals Association listings.

　　"China's size and influence are such that current and aspiring players cannot afford to be absent from the market," says publisher Tom Gorman, a media analyst at CCI Asia Pacific. More than 9,100 periodicals were worth RMB12 billion last year, the Association estimates.

　　This year's FIPP/ZenithOptimedia World Magazine Trends 2004/2005 Handbook published by the International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) and media research agency ZenithOptimedia describes men's magazines as publications with editorial and advertising aimed almost entirely at male readerships. The handbook heralds "significant" growth for China's male magazine sector, compared to "stagnant" markets in neighboring Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. Low production and editorial costs has allowed foreign publishers to make headway in China, the FIPP/ZenithOptimedia book suggests, predicting that more men's magazines can be expected to enter the market. Increasingly expensive TV advertising has drawn advertisers to glossy magazines, explains the report.