Maxim sale to Darden Media Group may be in trouble

The announced  sale of Maxim magazine to the Darden Media Group may be on the rocks, according to a story in Adweek. The deadlines for closing the sale this fall have come, and gone.

Observers have long been skeptical about the value of Maxim itself. Maxim’s declining advertising and circulation and Darden’s plans to expand the brand to TV, radio and music platforms notwithstanding, Maxim remains a print-driven business, and keeping that going will require substantial investment. The 2 million-circulation monthly magazine would come with subscription liabilities—the cost to fulfill multi-year subscriptions that have already been paid for—which could run as high as $30 million.