Condé Nast International and Nervora yesterday announced the upcoming launch of Wired Middle East.
The newest edition of Wired — the fifth edition of the brand worldwide — will be published under a licence agreement with Nervora, a Dubai-based media company which also publishes Vogue Arabia. Internationally, this is the first licence agreement with Condé Nast International for Wired and strengthens the company's presence in the Middle East.
Wired is a global authority on technology, innovation, and ideas, reaching a global audience of over 48 million people, says Condé Nast International. It aims to be an essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation, and to be read by the world's most influential innovators.
Launching in Spring 2019, the Middle Eastern edition of Wired will join the market with a digital-first, bilingual proposition in English and Arabic, with seasonal print special issues to follow, beginning in Autumn 2019. In addition, Wired's marquee events and consulting practice will also be launched in the region. The editorial team will be announced in due course.
The Middle East — the world's most youthful region demographically, with 60% of the population under the age of 30 — is primed for a brand like Wired, says Condé Nast. Across the region, governments are investing heavily in smart city projects. And commercially, IT spending within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was projected at US $155 billion in 2018, with spend on consumer electronics exceeding US $80 billion.