Time Out magazine to stop its print edition in June after 54 years

A Time Out spokesperson said it was in consultation with staff on the print publication about potential job losses.
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Time Out has announced it will stop publishing its London print edition in June after 54 years and will switch to a digital-only format.

Time Out: first print edition (left) was published in 1968Time Out: first print edition (left) was published in 1968
Time Out: first print edition (left) was published in 1968

The magazine previously cost £3.25 to buy, but in 2012 it became a free, ad-funded print publication.

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A Time Out spokesperson said it was in consultation with staff on the print publication about potential job losses.

The magazine published its first edition in London in August 1968 and saw its peak in the late 1990s.

Time Out founder Tony ElliottTime Out founder Tony Elliott
Time Out founder Tony Elliott

It was founded by Tony Elliott, who created the magazine from his mother’s kitchen table and was known for its radical journalism and liberal viewpoint.

During the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Time Out ceased printing copies of its magazine when commuter numbers reduced significantly and the service and hospitality sectors froze.

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It temporarily rebranded its digital offering as "Time In" and returned to print magazine form in London, Barcelona and Madrid in August 2020.

Dave Calhoun, Time Out Group’s designated chief content officer North America and UK, said lockdown "sped up the transformation" and the media company’s decision to move from print to digital only.

"We’ve got this very simple mission, which we’ve always had since 1968: we want to help people have an amazing time in the best cities around the world," Calhoun explained.

"So we asked ourselves, how are we going to continue to do that?

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“We’re thriving on digital, we’re thriving on social, we’re thriving at events – our Time Out Markets are going great – print has become a kind of sideshow for us over the past few years.

"I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter. I want her to be using Time Out to explore the city and to travel in 10 years’ time.

“I know she’s not going to be doing that via a magazine, I do know that she’ll be doing that via social media platforms that don’t even exist yet."

Time Out Group CEO Chris Ohlund said: "Time Out needs to make sure it’s creating the right content, on the right channels and platforms where our consumers are now.

"The Time Out London magazine remains a big success, but we’re currently seeing the most exciting growth, engagement and innovation on our digital channels."

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