Parent company Time Inc has blamed the decision to close the title on increasing production costs and a ‘tough’ print advertising market, with a new aim of expanding NME’s digital offering and increasing online readership.

The NME switched from a newstand mag to a free sheet back in 2015 in a bid to increase it’s print circulation and win back commercial partners.

“The print re-invention has helped us to attract a range of cover stars that the previous paid-for magazine could only have dreamed of,” said Paul Cheal, Time Inc UK Group Managing Director for Music. “At the same time, we have also faced increasing production costs and a very tough print advertising market. Unfortunately we have now reached a point where the free weekly magazine is no longer financially viable.

“It is in the digital space where effort and investment will focus to secure a strong future for this famous brand.”

Time Inc has said that it will continue to publish special one-off print versions of the magazine and will continue to explore ‘other opportunities to bring its best class music journalism to market in print’.

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