Ti Media shutters 'no longer sustainable' gossip title Now magazine
Ti Media has announced the closure of glossy celeb gossip title Now magazine. The weekly magazine has been a newsstand mainstay since it launched in 1996.
Ti Media shutters 'no longer sustainable' gossip title Now magazine
It has entered into consultation with affected staff and will deliver the final issue 2 April.
Angie O’Farrell, group managing director, lifestyle and women’s weeklies at Ti Media, blamed “the changing dynamics of the celebrity market”.
She said that “consumers are increasingly getting their fix of celeb news and gossip from other sources that can break stories immediately - means this audience is buying fewer and fewer magazines.”
Assumedly these sources include the likes of Instagram where celebrity personalities have accumulated large followings and talk directly to fans, without being reliant on print media.
“Now’s circulation has been falling steadily over the past five years and with that decline forecast to continue, alongside a drop-off in advertising revenue, the magazine is simply no longer sustainable. It’s on this basis that we’re proposing to close Now and focus on the remaining titles in our Life & Style portfolio.”
According to the ABC’s audit, it averaged a circulation of 44,709 an issue in the second half of 2018. It had 2,889 paid subscriptions that will now default.
Fans are being redirected to the celebsnow.co.uk website.