Meredith Continues Aggressive Execution Of Time Inc. Integration Plan
"We have made significant progress executing on these initiatives since we closed on the acquisition just six weeks ago," said Meredith President and CEO Tom Harty. "For example, today we are announcing we have completed our portfolio review and decided to explore the sale of the TIME, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Money brands. These are attractive properties with strong consumer reach. However, they have different target audiences and advertising bases, and we believe each brand is better suited for success with a new owner. We are pleased with the inbound interest we have received, and we are confident these brands will be positioned for growth with an owner that shares Meredith's respect for editorial integrity and independence." Finally, Meredith announced headcount reductions, part of its plan to realize between $400 to $500 million of cost synergies from the Time Inc. acquisition. Approximately 200 employees have been notified that their positions have been eliminated. Additionally, Meredith said approximately 1,000 more positions will be eliminated over the next 10 months. Previously, Meredith announced the elimination of approximately 600 positions as it transitions subscription fulfillment operations to a lower-cost provider. These headcount reductions do not include the impact of any potential divestitures. Click Read More below for additional information.