Publisher Outside Inc announces job cuts affecting cycling titles

Colorado-based Outside Inc. has reportedly told staff that it would be laying off between 85 to 90 people, around 15% of its 580 person workforce.

The publisher is continuing its transition to a primarily digital company, the Denver Business Journal has reported. The company will also eliminate three of its titles as part of the restructuring, phasing out mountain-biking magazine Beta, bicycling magazine Peloton and fitness magazine Oxygen over the next six months.

The company will also cut the majority of its other print publications, reducing their print cadence to one or two special issues per year, the reports state, except for its flagship title Outside Magazine.

Chief executive Robin Thurston told the Denver Business Journal: “The goal is really to create more immersive, high-quality storytelling. We’ll still have some print. But on a move-forward basis, we’re really trying to move into more high-quality video.”

Outside last year added Pinkbike, Pinkbike’s mapping app TrailForks, and CyclingTips, which Pinkbike acquired in 2019, to its portfolio. The acquisition brought Outside’s family of brands to 40, joining titles including VeloNews, Peloton, Beta, Triathlete, VeloPress, and Roll Massif.

The company also owns titles and businesses across the broader outdoor space, including Outside magazine, but also legacy titles like Backpacker, Ski, and Climbing.

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Outside Inc. also launched its two-tiered digital subscription programme, Outside+, last year. Outside+ offers enthusiasts various bundles of content, services, discounts, and other offerings for a $99 annual fee. The membership revenues complement Outside’s revenues from advertising, creating a business model for publishing that Thurston said is more sustainable than traditional media models in the long term.

Earlier this year it was announced that VeloNews magazine would merge into the Peloton magazine. It was announced that the magazine would be a minimum of 132 pages and would be out six times per year.

BikeBiz has contacted Outside Inc. for comment.