B2B giant Informa has closed two longstanding TV industry titles in the UK.
Digital TV Europe and Television Business International, which have been publishing news and analysis for 40 years and 36 years respectively, both ended publication on Friday.
The decision came months after it was announced the digital brands forming the Informa Tech business, including the two TV titles, will be merging with the US-listed Tech Target amid a search for further scale and growth in B2B.
In January the publisher said Informa Tech, together with then newly-acquired Tech Target, had about 350 full-time journalists and editors for more than 220 media brands.
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Informa declined to comment on Monday on the reasons for the closures or the numbers of jobs affected.
A statement on both websites says: “Informa has decided to close both the Television Business International (TBI) and Digital TV Europe (DTVE) brands. Both brands will cease operation on 28 June 2024.” Both titles told readers on Friday there would be no further new content.
“We would like to thank our thousands of readers around the world and our hundreds of contributors who have supported us throughout the years. As this chapter ends, we reflect on the countless stories and connections made across the media and entertainment industry. Thank you for being an integral part of the TBI and DTVE family!”
A farewell message from TBI editor Richard Middleton referenced several staff members including a deputy editor, senior sales manager, marketing chief art director and product manager.
At Digital TV Europe affected staff appear to include an associate editor and a strategic account manager.
Middleton told readers that since TBI’s 1988 launch it has “become a stalwart of the TV industry – a name that is known and recognised by those in the business no matter where in the world you are. I can attest to this having both read and written for TBI for more than a decade, like so many others.
“Its pages have documented everything from the emergence of pay TV to the decline of linear broadcasting and the ongoing drama caused by the shift to streaming. Its archives are a treasure trove of history that reflect how the industry has transformed and how people have adapted along the way.
“TBI has also moved with the times but while the names of those working for the title might have changed, the mission always remained the same: it is and has always been fiercely independent, providing proper journalism and unique points of view to the industry it serves, with analysis that cuts to the chase.”
A message to Digital TV Europe readers written by editor Stuart Thomson said the magazine has covered “the industry’s waves of prosperity and retrenchment and the ever-present underlying force of technological change.
“We hope you have found our news coverage, analysis, opinion and feature articles useful and insightful.
“In signing off, I’d like to thank the wider DTVE team past and present, along with our external contributors and other Informa colleagues, for their commitment, enthusiasm and expertise in designing, populating and commercialising this website and associated resources (including our long-running print magazine).”
Digital TV Europe was originally published as monthly print magazine Cable & Satellite Europe, with the name changed to reflect the technological shifts altering the industry.
The end of these two B2B publications for the TV industry leaves Broadcast as one of the few remaining players in the space in the UK. (Broadcast is now owned by GlobalData, which has the same proprietor as Press Gazette.)
Informa is the fifth biggest news/information company in the UK by revenue according to a ranking last year by Press Gazette. Its revenue grew by 41% in 2023 to reach £3.19m.
Informa Tech’s remaining media brands include cybersecurity brand Dark Reading, Game Developer, Information Week, IT Pro Today, Pharma Voice and multiple B2B brands under Industry Dive branding after Informa bought the US publisher in 2022.
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