After 66 years, NME magazine is to ditch its print operations as it transitions to a future solely online.
The title, which first launched in 1952, became a free hand-me-out mag in September 2015 and recorded its highest ever circulation figure in the period from July to December 2016, reaching almost 307,200 copies. However its publisher Time Inc. has said its print edition is no longer financially viable.
“NME is one of the most iconic brands in British media and our move to free print has helped to propel the brand to its biggest ever audience on NME.COM,” said Paul Cheal, Time Inc. UK group managing director.
“The print re-invention has helped us to attract a range of cover stars that the previous paid-for magazine could only have dreamed of.
“At the same time, we have also faced increasing production costs and a very tough print advertising market. Unfortunately we have now reached a point where the free weekly magazine is no longer financially viable.
“It is in the digital space where effort and investment will focus to secure a strong future for this famous brand.”
As part of NME‘s digital expansion, the brand will be launching a number of new services, including NME Audio and The Big Read, which will replace the weekly cover star interview.
Other developments include enhancements to its ticketing service, membership offering and its platform for supporting new talent, NME Emerging.
“NME has been at the digital forefront for more than two decades,” said Keith Walker, digital director of NME. “Our global digital audience has almost doubled over the past two years.
“With these new developments, we are giving consumers even more of what they want from us. By making the digital platforms our core focus we can accelerate the amazing growth we’ve seen and reach more people than ever before on the devices they’re most naturally using.”
However, the brand will still continue to publish special issues in print such as its paid-for series NME Gold.
The news comes just over a week after NME‘s publisher Time Inc. was sold to private equity firm Epris, in a deal that is estimated to be worth between $167m and $200m.
