BizCommunity reports that it has learnt from reliable sources that Media 24’s SA Sports Illustrated is to fold.

SASI has served as the premier South African sports magazine for decades. The magazine’s profile on Media 24’s website reads as follows:

Sports Illustrated is the most successful and enduring multi-sport magazine in South Africa’s publishing history. Sports Illustrated excites, enthuses and entertains sports lovers while providing in-depth, well-researched coverage. Its annual November swimsuit edition has become the largest multi-media event in South Africa. Sports Illustrated is a Touchline Media publication.

Rumours of the magazine’s demise have been circulating for a number of days. Chris Roper, Editor of the Mail & Guardian Online and former SASI editor, Steve Smith enjoyed this exchange on Twitter late last week.

The closure is almost certainly due to consistently poor circulation numbers for the magazine, which was once a bastion of the local magazine industry.

This, from BizCommunity:

In the most recent ABC circulation figures – for the third quarter of this year – the monthly Sports Illustrated magazine was at 18,055 total circulation, down from 24,346 in the same period last year.It is particularly sad proof delivering quality content is in itself not enough in the current economic environment.

What will you miss most about SA Sports Illustrated?

[Source : BizCommunity]