HuffPost ceases Fairfax partnership

HuffPost has announced today that its joint venture with Fairfax Media will stop on December 1. 

The US-based website’s withdrawal from Australia means that Fairfax Media will be redeploying staff members into the metro business and others will be made redundant.

A spokesperson for HuffPost Australia said in a statement: “Employees were briefed today on the decision of HuffPost and Fairfax to bring the Australian joint venture to an end. HuffPost will operate a standalone Australian edition from December 1 with a smaller local team. If redeployment is not possible, regrettably redundancies will occur.”

The news comes two years after HuffPost launched in Australia following a search for a local partner. At the time of the decision to launch Down Under, HuffPost GM Koda Wang said the company desired to be a market leader in Australia within three to five years.