BBC Worldwide buys Lonely Planet travel guides to expand its reach

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC has added another feather in its cap. It has bought 75 percent of the publisher from Australia-based travel publisher Lonely Planet in a bid to build the brand around the globe.
The world-famous travel publisher, Lonely Planet publishes around 500 travel-related titles including guidebooks and phrasebooks, TV shows and programming (Lonely Planet Six Degrees on Discovery Networks). Presently, BBC Worldwide sells DVDs and magazines and plans to use Lonely Planet to add new travel information to its television programs and Web sites.
Lonely Planet already claims a monthly online audience of 4.3m unique visitors. BBC Worldwide intends to use the brand to develop a social network for travellers, as part of plans to roll out 15 passion-based themed sites for motoring, gardening or ecology enthusiasts using BBC brands such as Top Gear. The deal will be funded from £350m borrowing facility of BBC Worldwide.
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Source: Latimes
Tags: BBC Worldwide, Lonely Planet