Competitor Media UK has today announced a strategic decision to cease production of future issues of the print edition of Triathlete Europe magazine.
A release from the company notes that ‘the move reflects a deeper desire and dedication to building the Triathlete Europe brand online at www.triathlete-europe.com, channelling resources for the development of new digital initiatives, with a new app, increased e-newsletter opportunities and growth in the social arena.’
Triathlete Europe states that it ‘will be turning a focus on creating innovative products that meet the demands of our growing digital audience right across Europe with products that offer more interactive features than ever before.’
triathlonbusiness.com spoke with Jim Peskett, Publisher of Triathlete Europe, to find out more about the reasoning behind this decision…
“Quite simply, the decision to focus all efforts on digital was based on declining print ad revenue. We’ve seen a decline in the amount of ads that were available in the market and a decline in the value of those ads. So, with a drop in pages that advertisers were prepared to book – and with increased interest in digital advertising – it was an easy decision to take and one that our advertisers have supported.
“Also, a big part of our print strategy was focusing on subscriptions; and a big part of our subscriptions came via Christmas gifts. So, we’d run a campaign from the end of October through to Boxing Day for subscription gifts. In 2103, we did everything as we’d done in previous years; and it just didn’t materialise. We’ve simply seen that people want to consume the content in a different way. Print has less resonance.
“Athletes can get content daily or hourly online. There’s less desire to read longer print articles. People tend to be more interested in reading 200 to 300 words of concise news, consuming video and social media content.
“Even the basic news of a race report can be done via Twitter. In 140 characters you can put across who won a race and the main highlights.
“The ability to consume media online has been with us since the mid-1990s. That’s almost a whole generation now of people who are used to consuming their media online; either via a computer screen, iPad screen or mobile phone. For example, 40% of our website content is now viewed via a smart phone.
“So, everything will shift online,” Jim added. “We will shortly release an app. It will be an iPhone-only app to start with. It will draw down all the content from the website. It’s not super sophisticated, but it’s a good start. Then, we’re talking with a number of partners about other e-mail newsletters. So, for example, theme-driven bespoke newsletters on training, nutrition and so on.
“We’re developing some further training plans on Training Peaks; so some exciting content will be coming through on this. Ultimately, looking at the traffic on our site, we see that people fundamentally want to consume content that helps them improve and makes them a better athlete.”
Jim continued, “We launched our running website www.runnow.eu and we want to concentrate some effort on that. The site is starting to build nicely and it offers up the same argument that we see for Triathlete Europe. We have great content from the US [via Competitor’s US media platforms] that give us an edge. We have an abundance of content and a focus on digital is the logical way to leverage this going forwards.”
Triathlete Europe will remain committed to catering to its existing readers with content that speaks to their specific interests and ability level. Additionally, an enhanced focus on the Triathlete Europe brand will enable its editorial team to engage in ‘strategic industry partnerships that deliver significant added value to our audience.’
The May 2014 issue will be the last printed copy of Triathlete Europe. Those who are currently a paid subscriber (either digital or physical) of the magazine, will be contacted over the next few days – with options for either refunding or fulfilling the remainder of their subscription with an alternative publication.
Triathlete Europe’s release concludes with a note highlighting that ‘these times they are a-changing’…
‘Finally, a special thank you to all of the Triathlete Europe staff, readers, advertisers and our numerous contributors and columnist over the years. The decision to close the print Triathlete Europe was not an easy one; we had a terrific brand and unfortunately its closure is due to evolving times.’
