Medical Observer drops print product as ‘doctors move online’
Australian Doctor Group’s Medical Observer has dropped its print title, moving to focus on digital-only as its readership increasingly move their consumption online.
The title moved from a weekly to a monthly publication in 2016 when it was still being published directly under the Cirrus Media umbrella. That same year saw the publisher register Australian Doctor Group as a business, which is now listed as the publisher of Medical Observer, Australian Doctor and other medical titles.
The change will take place in October and follows the launch of Australian Doctor Group’s AusDoc.Plus website five months ago. The publisher reports the number of doctors reading Medical Observer online has increased 65% since April, with an additional 16,000 newsletters being sent each month.
Australian Doctor Group managing director Bryn McGeever said the change is reflective of the publisher following its readership.
“This move allows us to continue to invest in our digital offering providing our readers with up-to-date news, opinion and education, anywhere, anytime and on any device,” said McGeever.
Medical Observer’s content currently sits on the AusDoc.Plus platform.
Medical Observer was previously a Cirrus Media title, however over the past few years Cirrus offloaded its media assets.
In September 2014, the publishers of Cirrus Media’s travel and media publications, B&T and Travel Weekly, took ownership of the brands and formed The Misfits Media Company.
The sale, for an undisclosed amount, gave Dave Hovenden and Dan Uglow control of the titles, including associated events such as the B&T Awards.
Then, in October 2014, Cirrus sold Lawyers Weekly to Sterling Publishing (now Momentum Media).
In September 2015, the Intermedia Group bought Hospitality Magazine and its related assets from Cirrus Media.
In June the following year, Cirrus continued its sell off, with its architecture, design and building division, including Architecture & Design online, going to Indesign Media Asia Pacific.
And in September 2016, the publisher sold its franchise business publications, including Franchise Magazine, website Franchise Business and accompanying newsletter to specialist publisher Octomedia.
In May of 2017, Cirrus sold Money Management to UK publisher Financial Express.
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Dan Uglow. Although Unglow does have a certain panache.
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Hi there Ben,
That will teach me for getting sassy with B&T when they made a typo with Tim Burrowes’ name.
Thanks for flagging,
Vivienne – Mumbrella