Fairplay to cease publication

Fairplay magazine and Fairplay.ihs.com will cease publication in the last quarter of 2018, following a reorganisation of IHS Markit’s maritime media unit.

The maritime title, which targets a shipowner and ship manager audience, has been in publication since 1883. The restructured business unit will be organised around sister brands Safety at Sea and Dredging and Port Construction.

According to Stuart Strachan, senior vice-president, Maritime and Trade, at IHS Markit, despite “great improvement” in the editorial product in the past three years, a very competitive market and the challenges of print as a medium were behind the decision to close Fairplay.

“Despite investment and concerted efforts to build an online community and maritime events, we have been unable to generate growing circulation, subscription, and event revenues,” Strachan said. “Not unlike many print-based brands, we haven’t gained sufficient traction with these efforts.”

The final edition of Fairplay will be published on December 6. Online publication will cease in the last week of November.