Starts Publishing
Basic Information
- Stock Code
- 7849
- Industry
- Information and Communications
- Category Detail
- Mass Media
- Prefecture
- Tokyo
- Establishment Year
- March 1983
- Listing Year
- August 2001
- Official Website
- https://starts-pub.jp/
- TSE Information
- TSE Information
- Yahoo! Finance
- Yahoo! Finance
- Other Companies
- Arubaito Times, KG Information, Town N, Hikari Business, NCD, Alphapolis, Zenrin, Shobunsha Holdings, SE Holdings & Incubations, Impress Holdings
Overview
Starts Publishing is a leading company founded in 1983 in the information and communications industry, offering a diverse range of publishing and media solutions centered on women's magazines and novel submission sites.
Current Situation
Starts Publishing recorded net sales of approximately 8.3 billion yen, ordinary income of approximately 2.3 billion yen, and net income of approximately 1.7 billion yen for the fiscal year ending December 2023, maintaining a solid financial base. The company focuses on its core businesses, including the women's magazine 'OZmagazine' and digital comic magazines, as well as media solution services through the reservation service 'OZ Premium Reservations.' It operates various novel submission sites and has launched new imprints to attract readers from young audiences to adults. It has pursued advanced market strategies such as Shiseido's acquisition of shares and the launch of digital comics. The company also emphasizes sustainability, actively promoting diversity and local information dissemination. Moving forward, it aims for mid- to long-term growth through new business development fusing publishing and IT, as well as Tokyo-area localized media expansion. In recent years, it has also advanced customer base expansion by strengthening collaboration between online distribution and print media.
Trivia
Interesting Facts
- Pioneered mobile novels and created the market
- Publisher with strong support in women's content
- Historic company headquartered in Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
- Long-term issuance of free distribution magazines
- Advanced company operating multiple digital comic imprints
- Achieved inter-industry collaboration through Shiseido's share acquisition
- Operates online novel submission platforms domestically and internationally
- Publishes regional community paper 'Aエルデ'
- Numerous famous book works adapted into films and dramas
- Advancing fusion strategy of digital and print media
- Diverse imprint expansion meeting varied reader needs
- Self-operates online reservation referral service
- User-generated content expansion using SNS
- Rare publisher as subsidiary of real estate group
- Industry recognition as hybrid publishing-IT company
Hidden Connections
- Wholly owned subsidiary of major real estate firm Starts Corporation, with stable funding base
- Strengthened collaboration in beauty field through Shiseido's share acquisition
- Tokyo Metro station-distributed medium 'Metro Minutes' is one strategic product targeting station users
- Success in mobile novel era forms foundation for digital comics rollout to smartphone generation
- Women's web media 'Ozmall' has high uniqueness as marketing platform
- Forms content pipeline where popular works from novel sites lead to film/drama adaptations
- Strength in local advertising through regional community paper operations
- Successful fan community building centered on SNS 'Tokyo Joshi Bu'
Future Outlook
Growth Drivers
- デジタルコンテンツの利用増加と電子書籍市場の拡大
- 女性向けマーケットのニーズ多様化と高付加価値化
- 地元密着型メディアとオンライン予約サービスの連携強化
- 小説投稿サイトの作者・読者コミュニティ活性化
- 異業種連携による新規事業展開
- 新興プラットフォームへの対応とコンテンツ多角化
- 動画・SNSマーケティングの強化
- データドリブンマーケティングの推進
- 環境・社会課題に対応したサステナブル経営志向の高まり
- 出版社・メディア業界のDX推進
Strategic Goals
- 電子書籍売上比率を全体の60%以上に向上
- 新規事業による売上20億円以上の創出
- デジタルコミュニティでの顧客接点を倍増
- 地域社会との連携強化によるブランド価値向上
- ESGに沿った持続可能な経営体制の確立
- 多様性のあるコンテンツ制作体制を構築
- オンライン予約サービスの全国展開促進
- 女性向けマーケティングリーダーとしての地位確立
- 新たなメディア技術導入による競争力強化
- 2024年創刊ボーイズラブレーベルの市場拡大
Business Segments
Media Solutions Business
- Overview
- Provides localized advertising, reservation referral services, and media operations.
- Competitiveness
- Unique women's community and media power
- Customers
-
- 広告代理店
- 地域商業施設
- 飲食店
- 美容サロン
- 旅行業者
- 女性向けマーケティング企業
- Products
-
- OZのプレミアム予約
- オズモールWEBメディア
- 宣伝・販促イベント
- SNSコミュニティ運営
- オンライン広告配信
Publishing Content Business
- Overview
- Primarily handles publishing and digital distribution of novels and comics.
- Competitiveness
- Diverse brand expansion for wide age groups
- Customers
-
- 書店チェーン
- オンライン書店
- デジタル書籍プラットフォーム
- 図書館
- 学校・教育機関
- Products
-
- 書籍出版
- 電子コミック配信
- 小説投稿サイト運営
- 書籍レーベル展開
Free Paper Publishing
- Overview
- Specializes in free paper publishing for station concourses and local distribution.
- Competitiveness
- High recognition from stations and local areas
- Customers
-
- 駅管理会社
- 地域商店街
- 公共団体
- 広告主企業
- Products
-
- メトロミニッツ
- アエルデ
Competitive Advantage
Strengths
- Brand power of diverse women's content
- Expertise in early digital integration
- Strong support from parent Starts Group
- Tokyo-centric localized media expansion
- Appeal to wide reader demographics
- Ongoing buzz from new imprint launches
- SNS-linked community building
- Utilization of diverse sales channels
- Growth in online reservation services
- High editorial and planning capabilities
- Abundant print media know-how as a publisher
- Specialization in women's market
- Publishing and IT fusion technology
- Strong customer base and repeaters
- Stable financial foundation
Competitive Advantages
- Pioneering advantage as birthplace of mobile novels
- Solid position in women's digital comics market
- Expansion of customer touchpoints through diverse novel submission sites
- High-value referral business via reservation service 'OZ Premium Reservations'
- Strengthened inter-industry collaboration through Shiseido's capital participation
- Headquarters in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, enhancing local ties
- Cross-media expansion fusing print, web, and SNS
- Market segmentation response via multi-genre book imprints
- Revenue diversification through both e-books and print
- Brand building rich in topicality and novelty within the industry
- Synergy with Starts Group's real estate business
- Accumulated women's perspective marketing know-how
- Fan base formation through user-generated content
- Advertising revenue from free paper distribution
- Brand recognition as regional information magazine
Threats
- Risk of print sales decline due to digitalization
- Increase in competitors' digital comics and novel sites
- Market shrinkage from declining reading interest among youth
- Risk of advertising revenue decline
- Burden of adapting to IT changes and new platforms
- User outflow to emerging SNS and video content
- Potential content distribution restrictions from regulatory changes
- Changes in distributor relations due to publishing distribution reforms
- Impact from major shareholder policy shifts
- Advertising budget cuts from economic fluctuations
- Threat from rising content theft and illegal copying
- Intensifying talent acquisition competition
Innovations
2021: Launch of men's isekai fantasy imprint
- Overview
- Expanded male readership through launch of Glast NOVELS and Glast COMICS.
- Impact
- Achieved new reader acquisition and sales diversification
2023: Launch of adult women's digital comic 'Comic Lueur'
- Overview
- Launched new digital comic imprint in romance genre for adult women in September 2023.
- Impact
- Contributed to digital sales strengthening and customer expansion
2020: Expansion of reservation referral service 'OZ Premium Reservations'
- Overview
- Expanded reservation services for accommodations and restaurants to strengthen revenue base.
- Impact
- Contributed to sales growth in media solutions business
2022: Strengthened capital alliance with Shiseido
- Overview
- Shiseido acquired 2.5% stake to advance inter-industry collaboration.
- Impact
- Promoted joint development of beauty and women's content
2024: Strengthened print media rollout for digital comics
- Overview
- Implemented promotional strengthening for print version of digital comic 'Berry’s COMICS'.
- Impact
- Achieved sales expansion and brand awareness improvement
2023: Launch of new novel submission site 'Nobema!'
- Overview
- Launched and expanded comprehensive novel submission platform for men and women in 2019.
- Impact
- Successfully captured wide reader base
2021: Utilization of SNS community 'Tokyo Joshi Bu'
- Overview
- Strengthened marketing using women's SNS community.
- Impact
- Promoted customer loyalty improvement
2020: Launch of e-book exclusive imprint 'Macaron Bunko'
- Overview
- Established imprint specialized for e-book market to strengthen digital response.
- Impact
- Secured e-book sales growth
Sustainability
- 多様性尊重と女性活躍推進の企業風土形成
- 地域情報発信を通じた地域活性化支援
- デジタル化推進による紙資源使用削減
- 社員の健康経営と働き方改革の推進
- 環境配慮型イベントの企画・運営
- コンテンツの適正利用と著作権保護強化
- CO2排出削減を目指した業務改善
- 持続可能な広告宣伝方法の導入
- コミュニティとの共生を図る社会貢献活動
- ユーザー参加型コンテンツの健全運営
- 女性向け製品・サービスの質向上と安全確保
- 内部統制・ガバナンス強化の継続