Ashrayu Media has partnered with Singapore’s SPH Media to launch F ZINE and The Peak in India. F ZINE enters its first international market, while The Peak expands its global footprint. The brands aim to blend global perspectives with Indian stories, creating multi-platform lifestyle and business communities
The launch of F ZINE and The Peak in India marks a significant milestone in our vision to build enduring, world-class media brands that inform, inspire and connect influential audiences,’ said Sudhakar Adapa, Chairman, Ashrayu Media.
Ashrayu Media has entered into a partnership with Singapore-based SPH Media to launch two of its well-known titles, F ZINE and The Peak, in India.
For F ZINE, this will be its first expansion outside Singapore, where the magazine was originally launched and built over several decades. The Peak, meanwhile, will add India to its growing international presence.
The collaboration comes at a time when India’s lifestyle and luxury media market is changing quite visibly. Audiences are younger, more exposed to global trends, but are also looking for stories and references that feel closer to their own cultural experience. That is one of the areas the two companies hope to address.
Much of India’s luxury and lifestyle publishing has traditionally drawn from Europe and the US. Through this partnership, Ashrayu Media plans to introduce a stronger Southeast Asian perspective, one that may have a more natural cultural connect with Indian readers.
The two regions share several similarities. Both have strong traditions of craft, design and heritage. At the same time, both are seeing a new generation redefine what luxury, success and individual expression mean. For Ashrayu Media, the partnership is also an important step in building its publishing business in India.
“The launch of F ZINE and The Peak in India marks a significant milestone in our vision to build enduring, world-class media brands that inform, inspire and connect influential audiences,” said Sudhakar Adapa, Chairman, Ashrayu Media Private Limited.
“Our ambition goes beyond launching magazines. In fact, we are not considering these titles only as magazines. The idea is to create communities around the two brands and give advertisers and partners more meaningful ways to engage with their audiences.We are building integrated media brands powered by a multi-platform strategy that combines the authority of print, the reach and engagement of digital, and the impact of curated experiential platforms,” he added.
The Indian market, despite having a wide range of business and lifestyle publications, does not have a direct equivalent of either F ZINE or The Peak. The two titles cater to very different readers, which gives Ashrayu Media the opportunity to build in two relatively distinct spaces.
F ZINE has been part of Singapore’s youth and lifestyle publishing space for more than five decades. Over the years, it has covered fashion, beauty, music, pop culture and the creative industries.
Its identity, however, has not been limited to reporting what is fashionable at a particular moment. The publication has also followed the changing ideas, attitudes and influences that shape younger audiences. India will be the magazine’s first international franchise market.
The Peak has a different editorial character. Launched in 1984, it is a business-lifestyle publication that focuses on leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals. Its stories often look beyond designation, wealth or corporate success and try to understand the person behind the position.
Leadership, purpose and impact have remained central to its editorial approach. This has helped the publication build a loyal following among C-suite executives and senior professionals.
“The Peak will bring its legacy of celebrating leadership, entrepreneurship and excellence to India’s business community, while F ZINE will speak to a new generation of culturally connected, digitally native consumers who are shaping the future of lifestyle, creativity and innovation,” Adapa said.
SPH Media is Singapore’s largest omnichannel media network and has more than 40 news, lifestyle and entertainment brands in its portfolio. It operates across print, digital, radio and outdoor media.
Dasheng Toh, Head of Lifestyle Division and OOH Businesses at SPH Media, said the group saw a clear opportunity in India. “We are excited to partner with Ashrayu Media to introduce The Peak and F ZINE into one of the world’s most dynamic markets. There is a clear appetite in India for the sophisticated, high-calibre lifestyle content that defines these brands from SPH Media. In Sudhakar and his team, we have found a like-minded partner to engage India’s discerning modern audiences.” he said.
The commercial opportunity is clearly significant. But the success of the partnership may finally depend on whether the two publications are able to find an Indian voice without losing the identity they have built in Singapore. That balance will be important.
The intention, as both partners indicate, is not to simply reproduce international content for Indian readers. The larger effort will be to build local editions that are globally aware, but also understand the people, aspirations and cultural shifts taking place within India.