ITP Media Group Acquires Heart Media Group to Expand Luxury Media Footprint Across Asia

ITP Media Group, one of the largest media companies in the Middle East, has acquired Heart Media Group, a Singapore-headquartered luxury and lifestyle media company. The acquisition expands ITP Media Group’s international footprint and will enable the combined business to connect brands with affluent audiences across the GCC, India and Asia-Pacific, representing markets with a combined population of more than 2 billion people. Expanding Across Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore With the acquisition, ITP Media Group will enter three new international markets — Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Heart Media’s brands and teams will operate under the ITP Media name, with integration planned in phases to preserve editorial identity, client relationships and audience trust across the Asian markets. The expansion adds to ITP Media Group’s existing presence in India, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, the US and Qatar. The investment comes as Southeast Asia continues to emerge as…

Expanding Across Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore

With the acquisition, ITP Media Group will enter three new international markets — Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Heart Media’s brands and teams will operate under the ITP Media name, with integration planned in phases to preserve editorial identity, client relationships and audience trust across the Asian markets.

The expansion adds to ITP Media Group’s existing presence in India, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, the US and Qatar.

The investment comes as Southeast Asia continues to emerge as a high-growth market for media and entertainment. According to the PwC Global E&M Outlook, the regional market is growing at around 6% annually, with some markets recording growth of up to 8.4%.

The region is also seeing increasing concentration of wealth. Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the world’s leading hub for cross-border wealth, according to the BCG 2026 Global Wealth Report. Hong Kong and Singapore are home to more than 4,000 single-family offices, a number that has quadrupled over the past five years. Malaysia, meanwhile, is expected to record a 20% increase in ultra-high-net-worth individuals over the next five years, according to Knight Frank’s The Wealth Report 2026.

Focus on Luxury and Affluent Audiences

Heart Media Group’s portfolio of luxury publications gives ITP Media direct access to affluent audiences and new customer segments across Asia.

The combined business plans to invest further in the region by strengthening existing teams, supporting local creative economies and creating new opportunities across editorial, digital, design and live events.

The expanded teams will also support the rollout of cross-border digital media initiatives, industry events, gaming tournaments, brand activations and premium live sporting experiences.

For luxury brands, the combined platform will create cross-border advertising and sponsorship opportunities designed to connect with high-net-worth audiences across multiple markets.

Ali Akawi, CEO, ITP Media Group, said:

“At its core, ITP Media Group has always been about creating powerful content that connects people. As we look forward, our roadmap is focused on massive global scale. We are committed to a multi-year strategy of expansion and targeted acquisitions to build a media ecosystem capable of reaching billions worldwide. The acquisition of Heart Media Group strengthens our foundation as we scale our platforms, embrace new media technologies and bring world-class storytelling to a truly global audience.”

Heart Media Founder Joins ITP Board

Olivier Burlot, founder of Heart Media Group, has driven the company’s year-on-year growth across Asia and will now join the ITP Media Group board. As part of a phased equity transition, he will continue to provide strategic licensing direction for owned and operated products.

Burlot said:

“When we built Heart Media, the ambition was always to give Asia’s luxury and lifestyle audiences media truly worthy of them. Joining ITP is the natural next chapter – it takes everything we have created and gives it scale, investment and a bridge into one of the world’s fastest-growing luxury markets. I am proud of what our teams across Asia have built and genuinely excited by what they can now do with ITP’s reach behind them.”

Wilson Lim will continue with the organisation as Managing Director of ITP Media Singapore and ITP Media Malaysia, supported by the existing operational, sales and editorial teams. He will oversee executive and management responsibilities across the Singapore and Malaysia offices.

Building a Global Media Platform

The acquisition follows ITP Media Group’s recent announcement of a 10-year agreement with Time Out to operate Time Out Hong Kong and Time Out Singapore.

Since its establishment in 1987, ITP Media Group has expanded from a single B2B brand with five employees into a multinational media business with operations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

The group currently reaches more than 200 million people every month. Following the Heart Media acquisition, ITP Media Group will have a physical presence in 10 countries and a portfolio of 90 brands, further strengthening its position as an international media and content platform.