Australia’s largest magazine publisher, German titan Bauer Media Group, is selling off its motorsport magazine Auto Action.
Bauer Media will stop publishing Auto Action - described on its website as the 'motorsport bible' with a weekly readership of 99,000 - across all print, digital and social media channels, with the final print edition scheduled for May 5.
A Bauer spokesperson told media site Mumbrella that the magazine publisher seeking a new owner for the award-winning weekly that was launched in 1971.
The move follows last year's decision by Bauer to close car magazine Top Gear Australia and sell-off three motorcycle titles to publisher Citrus Media.
Hamburg-based Bauer publishes more than 60 magazines in Australia, selling over 60 million copies each year, including the biggest-selling monthly magazine, The Australian Women’s Weekly, the number one weekly magazine, Woman’s Day, as well as Dolly, TV Week, Cosmopolitan, Australian Gourmet Traveller and Australian House & Garden.
Since acquiring ACP Magazines in 2012 for $525 million, Bauer has cut staff and closed several under-performing titles, including the long-running monthly Cleo, Women’s Fitness, Zoo Weekly, Top Gear, Madison and Grazia.
Earlier this month, former Pacific Magazines COO Nick Chan was named Bauer's new CEO for Australia and New Zealand, five months after David Goodchild stepped down from the job.