Centaur takes axe to NMA brand

New Media Age – the one-time darling of Centaur Media’s marketing magazine portfolio – is being axed and folded into Econsultancy which was bought by the publishing firm in a £50m deal earlier this year.
The move contradicts claims by Centaur at the time of the deal – in June – that NMA was not under threat because the two titles would “fit well” together.
NMA started life in 1995 as an eight-page newsletter with just one editorial staff member – editor Martin Croft – but grew exponentially between 2005 and 2008 and was one of the leading titles in its sector with more than 20 staff.
Its success saw it become one of the three core titles in the Centaur’s marketing community – alongside Marketing Week and Creative Review.
But following a group-wide restructure 18 months ago, the print edition was scrapped – along with huge swathes of staff including editor-in-chief Mike Nutley and publisher Andy Oaks – and the title became online only.
The merger with Econsultancy – which as well as its digital subscription business, runs events, training and professional qualifications – will be completed by the end of November.
Econsultancy chief executive Ashley Friedlein said: “In combining the reach, editorial heritage and market offerings of the two brands, we’re creating a bigger and richer resource for the digital marketing community.”
One blogger said: “I, for one, will certainly miss NMA. While rarely truly substantive, with the exception of its annual Top 100 bible and the occasional industry personality Q&A, NMA was a valuable [evergreen] resource i.e. always there keeping me connected to the industry, which I’ve been living and breathing in London since May 2000.”

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