Rogers Media is ending the print editions of some major Canadian publications. Starting January, all of MoneySense,Canadian Business, Sportsnet, and Flare, will move to become online only magazines. Meanwhile, Maclean's will publish monthly, having been printed weekly before the structure change. Along with this overhaul, popular properties, Chatelaine and Today's Parent, will appear bimonthly.
In a press release earlier today, Rogers digital executive, Steve Maich, cited that the company was "doubling down" on digital content. He also stated that the company's digital revenue is surpassing its traditional newsstand editions, by as much as 50%. That along with the fact that they have seen "rapid growth" online, makes the move seem like a natural next step.
The changes will allow the company to now focus their efforts onto digital platforms. One prominent magazine, Hello! Canada, will remain as is, producing weekly editions. Maich said that subscribers will be able to request full refunds on their active accounts. In a reassuring statement, Maich also made it clear that the move isn't about shrinking down their team. “Our decisions that we’re announcing today are really not primarily focused on reducing our labour force. We’re in the quality content business. We are already operating very efficiently and we think there’s a big opportunity to deliver more digital content to our audiences.” Rogers also confirmed that they are cutting ties with French language magazines, including LOULOU, L'actualité, and Chatelaine. These prints will be actively looking for new ownership.
Readers of these magazines can expect the changes in January of next year. Promisingly, however, it seems that fans of the publications can expect a growth of web-specific content, including new videos and daily articles. For more information on the changes, you can read the full release here.
