HUB Uitgevers

HUB Uitgevers was a Dutch publishing company established in 1993. It developed a substantial portfolio of consumer technology magazines and business-to-business publications, becoming one of the more prominent publishers in the Netherlands' information-technology press. Its editorial range covered personal computers, hardware, software, Linux, gaming, home entertainment, networking and related digital subjects. The company expanded its portfolio through acquisitions as well as organic publishing. In November 2007, it took over four titles from VNU Media: Computer Idee, PCM, Power Unlimited and the Dutch licensed edition of Gizmodo magazine. These additions broadened HUB's reach across practical computing, general personal-computer coverage, gaming and technology culture. The company also published or was associated with titles including PC Plus, PC-Active, Personal Computer Magazine, Hardware.Info magazine, HET - Home Entertainment Today, Linux Magazine, NetOpus, Vives, [N]Gamer and technology-related online or specialist publications. HUB later diversified beyond its core IT portfolio. In 2010 it acquired a considerable stake in Focus Media, the publisher of Focus, described in the reference material as the Netherlands' oldest photography magazine. The business also entered lifestyle publishing, producing two women's magazines and one men's magazine, including titles identified in reference material as Jansen, MATCH and LOUDER. This expansion reflected an effort to apply the company's magazine-publishing infrastructure and audience-development capabilities outside specialist technology media. The company's operations ultimately ended in bankruptcy. HUB Uitgevers filed for bankruptcy on 26 August 2013, and the bankruptcy was granted on 27 August 2013. Because the available reference material does not identify a successor owner, a complete asset sale, or the subsequent fate of every publication, the post-bankruptcy status of individual titles cannot be established from the supplied sources. HUB Uitgevers is therefore best understood as a defunct Dutch magazine publisher whose principal historical identity was built around consumer IT and technology journalism, supplemented by photography and lifestyle publishing.

HUB Uitgevers was founded in the Netherlands in 1993 and built its business around magazine publishing, particularly in the information-technology sector. Its portfolio addressed a broad range of readers, from general consumers seeking practical advice about computers and software to enthusiasts interested in hardware, Linux, gaming, networking and home entertainment. The publisher also maintained a business-to-business presence, although the available source material does not enumerate all of those publications. During the 2000s, HUB became an important participant in the Dutch technology-magazine market. A significant expansion came in November 2007, when it took over four titles from VNU Media: Computer Idee, PCM, Power Unlimited and the Dutch licensed edition of Gizmodo magazine. The transaction added established publications covering practical computing, personal-computer culture, gaming and broader technology coverage. HUB's wider technology list included PC Plus, PC-Active, Personal Computer Magazine, Hardware.Info magazine, HET - Home Entertainment Today, Linux Magazine, NetOpus, Vives and [N]Gamer. The publisher also operated or published technology-related offerings associated with Hardware.Info and FotoMagazine.info. HUB did not remain exclusively an IT publisher. In 2010, it acquired a considerable stake in Focus Media, the publisher of Focus, identified in the source material as the Netherlands' oldest photography magazine. This investment extended the company's interests into specialist photography publishing. Around the same period, HUB moved into lifestyle media, publishing two women's magazines and one men's magazine. The listed lifestyle titles include Jansen, MATCH and LOUDER. These developments show a diversification strategy in which the company combined its established editorial and advertising capabilities with audiences outside computing. The company filed for bankruptcy on 26 August 2013, and the bankruptcy was granted on 27 August 2013. The supplied references do not provide detailed information about the causes of the insolvency, the administrators, the disposition of the publishing assets, or the continuity of individual magazine titles afterward. Accordingly, the documented history supports a clear account of HUB Uitgevers as a defunct Dutch magazine publisher, but not a definitive account of its post-bankruptcy successor arrangements.

1. 2013Bankruptcy granted

   The company files for bankruptcy on 26 August, and the bankruptcy is granted on 27 August.

   Source
2. 2010Stake in Focus Media acquired

   HUB Uitgevers acquires a considerable stake in Focus Media, extending its publishing interests into photography.

   Source
3. 2007Four titles are acquired from VNU Media

   In November, HUB Uitgevers takes over Computer Idee, PCM, Power Unlimited and the Dutch Gizmodo magazine license from VNU Media.

   Source
4. 1993HUB Uitgevers is founded

   HUB Uitgevers is established as a Dutch magazine publisher and begins developing a portfolio that would become strongly associated with information-technology publishing.

   Source

A Dutch specialist magazine publisher centered on consumer information technology and computing, with additional positions in gaming, photography, home entertainment and lifestyle media.

• Computer IdeeConsumer technology magazine

  A practical computing title acquired by HUB Uitgevers from VNU Media in 2007. Its inclusion strengthened HUB's coverage of consumer-oriented computer advice and technology use.

• PCMPersonal-computer magazine

  A personal-computer publication acquired from VNU Media in 2007 and included among HUB Uitgevers' principal technology titles.

• Power UnlimitedGaming magazine

  A gaming magazine acquired by HUB Uitgevers from VNU Media in 2007, adding game-focused editorial coverage to the publisher's technology portfolio.

• Gizmodo, Dutch editionTechnology magazine

  The Dutch licensed edition of Gizmodo was among the four properties transferred from VNU Media to HUB Uitgevers in November 2007.

• Hardware.Info magazineHardware magazine

  A specialist technology publication associated with computer hardware and enthusiast computing, listed among HUB Uitgevers' technology offerings.

• FocusPhotography magazine

  A photography magazine published by Focus Media. HUB Uitgevers acquired a considerable stake in Focus Media in 2010, broadening its portfolio beyond information technology.

• Linux MagazineOpen-source technology magazine

  A specialist magazine focused on Linux and related open-source computing subjects, included in HUB Uitgevers' technology portfolio.

• HET - Home Entertainment TodayHome-entertainment magazine

  A publication covering home entertainment and related consumer technology, reflecting HUB's expansion beyond conventional personal-computer coverage.

• JansenLifestyle magazine

  One of the lifestyle titles listed in connection with HUB Uitgevers' later diversification into magazines for audiences beyond specialist technology readers.

• MATCHLifestyle magazine

  A lifestyle title included in the company's non-technology publishing portfolio.

• LOUDERMen's lifestyle magazine

  A men's lifestyle magazine listed among HUB Uitgevers' publications during its diversification into lifestyle media.

• 2013Bankruptcy filingOther

  After two decades of magazine publishing and portfolio expansion, HUB Uitgevers entered formal insolvency proceedings.

  What changed. The publisher filed for bankruptcy on 26 August 2013; the bankruptcy was granted on 27 August 2013.

  Aftermath. HUB Uitgevers became defunct. The supplied sources do not establish which titles, assets or licenses continued under other ownership.

  Source
• 2010Investment in Focus MediaM&A

  HUB Uitgevers broadened its publishing interests beyond IT by investing in the company behind Focus, a major Dutch photography magazine.

  What changed. HUB acquired a considerable stake in Focus Media.

  Aftermath. The investment gave HUB a position in photography publishing, although the supplied sources do not specify the stake percentage or later ownership outcome.

  Source
• 2007Acquisition of four VNU Media titlesM&A

  HUB Uitgevers sought to expand its technology-magazine portfolio and acquired Computer Idee, PCM, Power Unlimited and the Dutch Gizmodo license from VNU Media.

  What changed. The four magazine properties were transferred to HUB Uitgevers in November 2007.

  Aftermath. The transaction increased HUB's presence across consumer computing, gaming and technology media.

  Source

• 2013HUB Uitgevers files for bankruptcy

  HUB Uitgevers filed for bankruptcy on 26 August 2013. The bankruptcy was granted the following day, ending the publisher's independent operations.

  Bankruptcy
  Source
• 2010HUB Uitgevers acquires a stake in Focus Media

  HUB Uitgevers acquired a considerable stake in Focus Media, the publisher of the Dutch photography magazine Focus.

  M&A
  Source
• 2007HUB Uitgevers acquires titles from VNU Media

  In November 2007, HUB Uitgevers took over Computer Idee, PCM, Power Unlimited and the Dutch license for Gizmodo magazine from VNU Media.

  M&A
  Source

1. HUB Uitgevers
2. Archived HUB Uitgevers official website