Gemstar Shutters Inside TV

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After only seven months on newsstands, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. announced Tuesday that it has dropped production of its Inside TV magazine, which launched in April.


The final issue of the magazine will appear on newsstands on Nov. 17.


Company executives said they shuttered the fledgling magazine, which sold for $1.99, because it did not fare as well as expected.


Executives said the company has shifted its focus to the recently re-launched TV Guide magazine. The publication was revamped in mid-October as a full-size, color glossy, similar in format to Inside TV.


“We are now pursuing a more focused strategy of building upon our company’s considerable core assets, including the TV Guide brand,” said Rich Battista, Gemstar-TV Guide’s chief executive, in a statement. “Inside TV is not central to this strategy, and it has not been performing as well as we had initially expected.”


Inside TV’s staff positions will be cut, and shutdown costs for the magazine are expected to range between $2 million and $5 million, officials said.


Shares of Gemstar-TV Guide were down 5.4 percent to $2.47 in late-afternoon trading on Tuesday.

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