ESPN told its staff Tuesday that the company’s 21-year-old magazine would print its final issue this fall.
First reported by Sports Business Daily’s John Ourand the network’s statement read, “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.”
“In the future, we will explore releasing tentpole collections such as Body in special, differentiated print formats,” the statement continued.
The publication’s future has been in doubt since the company combined ESPN Insider and ESPN+ in a bid for digital subscribers.
During its run, the magazine won three National Magazine Awards for General Excellence, most recently in 2017.
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No layoffs came Tuesday, but “a handful” are possible when operations begin to wind down, according to Ourand.
The magazine’s final issue will be the release of The Body Issue, in September.