NORTHERN IRELAND media group UTV has purchased a weekly sports magazine in the UK for an undisclosed sum.

The Belfast-based group has acquired Sport magazine, which has an estimated circulation of 317,000, chiefly in the London area.

UTV operates the ITV franchise in Northern Ireland, a number of independent radio stations throughout the UK and Ireland and a new media division.

One of its key radio stations in the UK is talkSPORT, a national radio station which is aimed predominately at young males.

Sport’s circulation figures show its readers are mainly males aged 18-45 years old.

UTV said there were “obvious synergies” between talkSPORT and Sport magazine, with both brands targeting male-focused advertisers.

The Belfast media group now intends to relocate Sport magazine, along with its 20-strong staff, to talkSport’s London offices.

The free magazine, which was launched in 2006, had been forced to suspend its operations in April after its French parent company, Sport Media Strategie, went into administration.

UTV said that it plans to relaunch the magazine next month.

Scott Taunton, UTV Radio (GB), managing director, said: “Sport is an established and well-respected media brand that is widely recognised.

“We have no intention of rebranding it, but it will now be backed up by the strength of talkSPORT, one of the UK’s biggest sporting brands on radio and online which communicates to more than 2.5 million people weekly.”

In a trading statement earlier this month, UTV confirmed that revenue from its Radio GB division had fallen by 15 per cent in the first four months of this year.

The media group said that overall it had suffered a 9 per cent drop in revenue across the group from January to April of this year.

UTV’s television division suffered the biggest decline in revenue, which fell by 19 per cent.

The group said it remains “cautious” about trading prospects for the year ahead.