Sport Magazine Ceases Publication
Free weekly magazine Sport has ceased publication following the collapse of its French parent company, Sport Media & Strategie.
The last edition of the magazine, which is distributed by hand each Friday in London, came out on 3rd April.
Sport has confirmed that the title had suspended operations and a buyer would be sought for the British edition with the magazine’s 24 staff left jobless until such a situation arises.
Sport’s managing director Greg Maill was quoted as saying: ‘Although the magazine is tremendously popular with readers, especially the AB demographic, over the last few months we have seen several clients close down and others cut advertising spend dramatically.
‘Sport was ahead of its business plan last summer, but no-one launches a company with a business plan that includes the worst recession for 80 years. Ours certainly did not and, faced with financial armageddon, we simply cannot sustain our current operations as an independent company. As such we have decided to suspend publication whilst we consider future options for the business.’
The magazine was due to publish this week as normal following an Easter break on Good Friday, but that edition has now been pulled.
Sport, which launched in the UK in September 2006 and printed 114 issues, is the latest magazine in the beleaguered men’s market to cease publication in recent weeks.
The title is facing closure despite its audited distribution standing at 317,209 copies per week for the second half of 2008, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations data.
