Central Media Group announced today that it had completed the acquisition of Animus at the end of last year, becoming the 100% owner of the publishing company.
Central Media Group (CMCS) acquired 50 percent of shares in Animus in April 2015, and, at the end of last year, completed the acquisition by purchasing the remaining shares of the book publishing company. CMCS acquired the publishing rights of such bestselling books as the Harry Potter series, the Millennium series, books by Jo Nesbo and other popular Scandinavian authors, and books by Hahner Péter.
Comments by Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Animus Mr. Varga Zoltán:
“I am very proud of the acquisition of Animus. Magazine and book publishing are closely related, not only from a business point of view but also due to their contribution to society. I believe that print media plays a key role in our everyday life. Although younger generations tend to turn to digital more often, traditional printed books and magazines still have a huge power and influence on people. Part of our mission is to facilitate this experience for Hungarian readers. The business dimension is simpler to define: the synergies in publishing, marketing and communications are obvious between these two segments.”
CMCS has been involved in book publishing since 2003, publishing a variety of educational books, children stories, cookbooks and books related to print magazines of Central Media. With the acquisition of Animus, CMCS now becomes a dominant player in the Hungarian book publishing sector, with the publishing rights of over 500 children’s books, educational books, non-fiction and fiction books. Animus remains an independent brand and keeps on operating as before, publishing the books under the Animus brand name. From January 2017, the Managing Director of the publishing company is dr. Szemere Gabriella, director of the book publishing unit of Central Media Group.
“Animus has a great product portfolio and a strong brand name and we want to keep it that way in the future”, said dr. Szemere Gabriella. “We will keep on publishing the ongoing book series (e.g. Millenium series, Destiny book series), publish a new Nesbo book in 2017, a new book about legendary animals and where to find them, and there are other exciting titles in pipeline at Animus. Starting this January, Central Media Group will provide even more marketing support for Animus books.”