By Our Staff
Whoever said there’s no future for magazines in India?! Industrialist Sanjeev Goenka’s RPSG Lifestyle Media has inked an agreement with Hearst Magazines International to launch Esquire India under a multi- year licensing agreement.
Esquire currently has 18 editions worldwide, and the Indian edition will be its 19th. The announcement was made by Jonathan Wright, Hearst Magazines International President, and Avarna Jain, Chairperson of RPSG Lifestyle Media. RPSG Lifestyle Media already publishes Hello magazine, and a slew of other titles are also on the anvil.
“We are excited to partner with RPSG Lifestyle Media to further expand Esquire’s global footprint. I am confident that this iconic brand, which is celebrating 90 years of high-quality journalism and a distinct point of view, will be an invaluable source of information for millions of men in India who are interested in fashion, style and culture,” said Wright in a statement.

Added Jain, who is Goenka’s daughter, and is also Vice-Chairperson of music label Saregama (eka HMV): “Hearst Magazines is known for its carefully nurtured lifestyle titles that have gained iconic status around the world and we are delighted that they have chosen RPSG Lifestyle Media as partners in India for the launch of Esquire. We intend to take a 360-degree approach to maximise the potential of this legacy media title: we will lead with a high-quality print magazine and augment the offering with multi-platform digital and on-ground content that will reach wider audiences today. We hope that Esquire India will add nuance to the already discerning Indian men of taste.”

The magazine is likely to be headquartered in New Delhi, and is said to be hiring key staff for its editorial, sales and other business functions. Earlier this year, RPSG Lifestyle Media appointed senior journalist Jamal Shaikh as Chief Operating Officer.
So when’s the magazine scheduled for launch? Most like April 2024 or thereabouts.
PS: Will the RPSG-owned Lucknow Super Giants players sport Esquire on their sleeves in IPL 2024?