Congested market sees Maxim close

The company will also merge photography magazine Photovideo (PVi) into consumer technology magazine HWM Singapore from December.
SPH Magazines attributed the closure of Maxim to “changing market trends” and “declining readership of lad mags”.

Launched in Singapore in September 2004, Maxim magazine was licensed to SPH by Dennis Publishing and was the 24th edition of Maxim. The publication had a monthly circulation of 45,000.

Industry observers say SPH’s decision to fold Maxim reflects the “crowded male market”, with too many publications chasing the same advertisers.

Its closure could benefit its direct competitors - MediaCorp’s FHM and Viscion’s Playeur - and also indirectly impact other men’s lifestyle magazines.

FHM and Playeur agree that they stand to gain even though their titles have not seen a decline in readership in the past year. David Fuhmann-Lim, editor of FHM,

argued that “the closure of Maxim certainly clears the playing field and will help readers clarify their purchasing decisions.”