In 1998, ESPN decided to make a foray into the print world with ESPN The Magazine, a competitor to Sports Illustrated that would feature longform features, columns, photos, and more.
After 21 years in publication, the print version of that magazine will cease to exist, as ESPN has decided to end the publication in September, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal. Ourand notes this won’t see any writers laid off, as ESPN’s magazine writers have all been doing work for their digital platforms over recent years and now all of their written works will land online. Some on the publishing and circulation side will likely be without jobs after September.
In a statement emailed to Ourand, ESPN explained the decision, and it really can’t come as that big of a surprise given the cost of publishing, printing, and distributing a national magazine — although the door remains open for special editions to be made in the future, such as the Body Issue.
“Consumer habits are evolving rapidly, and this requires ESPN to evolve as well. 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.”
As Bryan Curtis of The Ringer noted, the magazine was costing the company millions and they will continue to do magazine stories for online, including some “Cover” stories, complete with photo shoots.
As a bunch of people are reporting:
–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— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) April 30, 2019
–lots of mag writers will keep doing their thing on dot com and in other parts of the empire
–there will likely still be "cover" stories, with photo shoots, though unclear if they'll have mag branding
–ESPN remains committed to "exceptional content," etc., etc.— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) April 30, 2019
There will be plenty of fans disappointed by this news, as it’s one fewer print publication out there on the market where there are still folks that prefer a physical copy of the magazine. That said, Ourand says sources within ESPN say the magazine wasn’t close to being a money-making or even a break even venture, and as such it will no longer exist in hits physical form.
