According to an article by Ad News, News Corp Australia will be closing its female-led content platform, Whimn.com.au, as part of changes to its women’s lifestyle portfolio on June 20.
In line with the shake-up, the company is restructuring its News Women’s Network to provide a "simpler, multiplatform offering for clients.” Sunday magazine Stellar and News.com.au's lifestyle section will be brought into the division from July 5, which also houses body+soul and Kidspot.com.au.
Having launched in 2017, Whimn.com.au is known for covering everything from news to beauty, health and lifestyle topics. The platform was created in a bid to strengthen News Corp’s ‘female-first’ digital offering. And according to Nielsen ratings from March this year, the site reaches a whooping one million Australians. However, it is unfortunately not financially stable in the current advertising market.
News Women’s Network managing director, Richard Skimin, announced the changes in a note to staff yesterday afternoon:
“I would like to acknowledge the Whimn.com.au team who have delivered an engaging product over the past three years in a competitive environment and thank them for their dedication and professionalism,” he said.
“The changes we are making today will be significant for how we position these titles for growth to meet consumer needs and ensure we are less complex for clients to leverage.
“Operating as the one News Women’s Network will enable us to better collaborate to create brilliant storytelling that resonates with consumers and their lifestyles, while also developing advertising and custom marketing solutions using our data insights to ensure advertisers and clients are connected with the right consumer demographics for their products and services.”
News.com.au editor-in-chief, Kate de Brito, will consequently have her role expanded to oversee the editorial direction of Kidspot.com.au. Meanwhile, Sarrah Le Marquand will become editor-in-chief for Sunday brands body+soul and Stellar, overseeing the development of the new magazine launching on July 5.
“This move will create a premium weekend women’s product, for the first time, across all our major markets of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and enable us to have a coordinated, compelling content offering for readers and importantly, advertisers,” Skimin said.
These changes follow the confirmation that News Corp Australia will cease printing the physical editions of more than 100 suburban and regional mastheads, in turn axing between 500 and 1,000 jobs. Like most media companies, News Corp is currently battling a weak advertising market in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
