ESPN The Magazine, the sports empire’s Sports Illustrated competitor, will print its last issue in September, reports said Tuesday.
Layoffs related to the magazine’s shuttering are not imminent, and it’s unlikely they will add up to the company’s massive round of layoffs in 2017.
Bryan Curtis of The Athletic reported that the magazine’s losses totaled in the “single-digit millions in recent years.”
As a bunch of people are reporting:
— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) April 30, 2019
—ESPN The Magazine’s last print issue will be September’s Body Issue
—Nobody is getting laid off today but…we’ll see, especially with people on the production side
—The magazine (per a source) lost single-digit millions in recent years
In a statement to Sports Business Journal, ESPN indicated that it would continue to produce longform journalism but keep it on “digital platforms.”
“Consumer habits are evolving rapidly, and this requires ESPN to evolve as well,” the statement read. “The only change here is that we are moving away from printing it on paper and sending it in the mail. … Our data shows the vast majority of readers already consume our print journalism on digital platforms, and this approach will maximize our reach and impact.”
The magazine was known for its “Body Issue,” its rival to Sports Illustrated’s annual “Swimsuit Issue,” which featured photographs of nude and semi-nude pro athletes.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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