Publisher Bauer Media announced today that it will “suspend publication” of FHM and Zoo magazines by the end of the year.
In a statement, Bauer explained that mens’ reading habits have increasingly moved online and on to mobile, which may explain the decline in sales for the two magazines:
Over time young men’s media habits have continually moved towards mobile and social and today FHM and ZOO have a combined digital audience of over 5 million.
Despite the size of their online audiences, it looks like Bauer intends to shut down both the print and digital arms of the two magazines.
FHM (which stands for “For Him Magazine”) was launched in 1985, and at its peak was published in 27 countries. It was perhaps best known for its annual “100 Sexiest Women In The World” list, topped this year by Michelle Keegan. Zoo was launched in 2004.
Nuts and Loaded magazines also ceased publication in the past twelve months, and the four closures may signal an end to the era of lads’ mags. The male-targeted magazines dominated the market through the 1990s, but it seems like the rise of the internet (and, perhaps, of online porn) has rendered them obsolete. Looks like we’ll be left to figure out 2016’s sexiest women ourselves.
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