Heat magazine is to close, with its last magazine coming out on 27 February, Media24 announced on Tuesday.
“It is always difficult to close a magazine but international and local trends show that celebrity-only print titles are in decline,” said Minette Ferreira, head of Media24’s weekly magazines in a statement.
“Many of our print titles have excellent celebrity content and we believe heat readers will migrate to incredibly powerful brands such as YOU and Grazia. For breaking celebrity news the internet has become the source for celebrity junkies and we are well positioned to capitalise on this through our fast-growing celebrity sites.”
Media24 said the decision to close heat was in line with its strategy to “accelerate its digital-first strategy to best serve its fast growing digital audiences while consolidating its print portfolio behind its strongest brands”.
The company’s new head of digital, Lisa McLeod, said Media24 was constantly evolving. “We are expanding our content offering on digital platforms as we develop a greater understanding of how our readers are consuming content and how we can best meet these needs,” she said.
“The merger of Channel24 and The Juice supports our multiplatform publishing approach and our clear mission to service our valued customers on any device at any time,” she added.
Ferreira said staff have been informed about heat’s closure. “We will try as far as possible to accommodate them in alternative positions.”
