Singapore
Portfolio changes will also see Mediacorp exit ELLE Singapore and SmartParents in September.
Both 8DAYS and i-Weekly will have their last print editions in September 2018.
SINGAPORE: Mediacorp publications 8 DAYS and i-Weekly will move to become digital-only, the company said on Thursday (Apr 12).
The two weekly magazines, which cover trends in entertainment, celebrities and lifestyle, will have their last print editions at the end of September this year.
8 DAYS, an English-language magazine, and i-Weekly, a Chinese-language magazine, will focus on growing their digital properties which have gained popularity over the past year, Mediacorp said.
Since its launch last April, 8days.sg has attracted an average of 2.1 million page views a month. The i-Weekly digital publication, housed on toggle.sg, has seen average page views of 1.3 million a month since its revamp in July last year.
Mediacorp also said it will not renew its licence to publish the Singapore version of fashion magazine ELLE. The magazine’s October edition, to be released in September, will be the last one published by the company. Mediacorp will also close its parenting advice website SmartParents.
ELLE Singapore and SmartParents readers will continue to be served by Mediacorp’s range of products and platforms, the company said.
“These decisions are in line with Mediacorp’s efforts to refresh the iconic 8 DAYS and i-Weekly brands as it focuses on building its own lifestyle and entertainment content. Through these brands, Mediacorp will continue to offer advertisers targeted, innovative solutions,” it said.
As a result of the changes, a “number of roles will be affected”, Mediacorp said. Affected employees will be retrained and redeployed to other jobs within the company over the next six months, it added.
“Mediacorp thanks all employees supporting 8 DAYS, i-Weekly, ELLE Singapore and SmartParents for their dedication and past and continuing contributions to these properties. We also thank our partners for their support through the years,” it said.
Chief Customer Officer Debra Soon said: “The moves we are announcing today enable us to focus our editorial capabilities on the digital delivery of content. We will continue to innovate, create and present lifestyle and entertainment news in fun and relevant ways for readers and clients. Through our digital offerings, TV and radio platforms and ground events, we are increasing engagement and building communities.”
