New Media Platforms Force Sneak Magazine To Close

Sneak, Emap’s weekly teen celebrity magazine, is set to close after four years due to competition from new media platforms.

Dawn Bebe, managing director of Emap Elan, said: “The teenage magazine market is one of the most challenging sectors in the industry with increasing numbers of teenagers choosing new media platforms to satisfy their interests.

“Despite the very best efforts of the publishing and editorial team, who have been producing a great magazine week-in, week-out, Sneak is no longer a viable proposition on the newsstand for Emap.”

Sneak is the second teenage magazine Emap has closed this year, after folding Smash Hits in February (see Smash Hits To Close As Music Fans Move Online). The Smash Hits brand continues online, on radio and on TV.

Emap said it had entered consultation on Sneak‘s mobile platform and its MySpace webpage but that developing the brand onto digital platforms was not a priority.

Like many magazines in the troubled sector, the title posted large losses in the July to December 2005 ABCs, a pattern expected to continue in the January to June figures, published next week.

Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk