Bauer to close monthly men's title Arena

by John Reynolds, mediaweek.co.uk 03-Mar-09, 11:25

LONDON - Bauer Media is to close its men's monthly magazine Arena after 22 years in circulation.

The publisher said it has "taken the decision to suspend" the title, following a significant drop in Arena's circulation in recent years as readers have moved away from the lads' magazine sector.

Arena employs 12 staff across editorial and advertising, who have now entered into a four week period of consultation, according to the group, which also publishes FHM.

The group said it will look to redeploy the staff within the Bauer group.

Bauer said Arena's suspension will not affect Homme Plus, Arena's fashion-led brand spin-off, which is published twice a year.

It also said it will be working with its partners on Arena's international editions.

The last issue of the magazine will be the April issue, on sale on 12 March.

According to ABC figures for the period July to December 2008, Arena's circulation was 29,374, up 16.4% year on year, but down 4.9% on the previous six months.

The title gave away 11,800 copies over the last six months, a shift in strategy that Bauer Media managing director Geoff Campbell claimed was to move the magazine to "partly controlled free".

Comments

SEAN RUTTLEDGE - 03/03/2009

Hmmmm panic move ? I suggest they read Felix Dennis book Felix gives a remarkable business case for keeping a flagging title alive or for selling it on as a going concern This is the publishing worlds equivalent of suicide

AwallafaShagba - 05/03/2009

But did anyone care? i think i bought this title once some years ago and it was dire.

Larry Kay - 06/03/2009

It seems paradoxical that in this day and age, when everyone's a writer, that nobody wants to read any more. Maybe if they'd done something original with the title - engaged the audience, harnessed the desire to participate, been more willing to forget past successes and develop a new, unique tone of voice - they wouldn't be in this position \(or at least, not so soon). Hard copies of magazines have selling points that digital versions can't match. I'm a 25 year old guy who likes to read - but no-one's successfully managing to sell me a magazine at the moment. They should put Arena through Creative Orchestra and see if we can't give it a second chance.