TI Media to close Soaplife magazine

TI Media, formerly Time Inc., has announced the closure of Soaplife magazine, adding to the string of magazines already closed by the consumer magazine publisher this year.

So far 2018 has seen TI Media bring an end to women’s glossy Look, digital InStyle UK and music mag NME’s print operation.

The issue on sale from 7 August will be the final edition of Soaplife after 20 years, having launched as a monthly magazine in 1999, before going fortnightly in 2004 and eventually weekly in February this year.

According to TI Media’s group managing director, weeklies and lifestyle, Angie O’Farrell, increasing the magazine’s frequency was a response to “the changing dynamics of the soap market”. However, despite positive figures in the last ABCs, with the magazine up 8.58% year-on year, the sales are “not sufficient to make the title viable”.

“It’s on this basis that we’ve decided to close Soaplife and focus on the remaining titles in our market-leading TV portfolio,” she said.

Magazines currently published by TI Media include Marie Claire UK, Woman’s Weekly and TV Times.