Wired ended its UK print edition in 2026 — half the London staff gone, digital-only

Wired ended its UK print edition with the Winter 2025 issue, announced in April 2026. The magazine had already reduced frequency from six to four issues a year at the end of 2024 before ceasing print entirely. Seven editorial staff left Wired's London office at the end of 2025, including the UK editor-in-chief Greg Williams, the managing editor, global design director, associate editor, science editor, features editor, and senior business editor. Two more roles vacated earlier in 2025 were not replaced. The team approximately halved in size in under a year.

Editorial director Katie Drummond said print "makes less and less sense" as Wired focuses on global digital subscriber growth and a "sustainable and growing subscription business." Unlike Wired's US edition, which still has a print subscriber base that pays for mail delivery, the UK edition lacked this revenue structure. The London office was reoriented as a global hub for audience development leadership. Headcount is expected to be rebuilt with new hires in audience development and UK/EU reporting, but the print edition is gone for good.

Wired continues print in Italy (quarterly), Japan (two issues a year), and the Middle East (two issues a year). The US still produces a print magazine. The UK closure was part of a broader Condé Nast consolidation that also shut Self magazine and several international editions in 2025-2026.

Ended UK print after Winter 2025, halving the London team to seven, because no subscriber-funded mail delivery made print unsustainable.

Wired UK's print edition lacked a paying subscriber base that the US edition had, making its economics unsustainable as Condé Nast shifted focus to digital subscription revenue.

The global strategy prioritized digital subscriber growth and a sustainable subscription business, making UK print an expense that no longer fit the model.

Condé Nast was in a broader consolidation phase, cutting smaller editions and unprofitable print titles across its portfolio.

A print edition without a direct subscriber base cannot survive a publisher's digital pivot. Once frequency drops from monthly to quarterly, the end is a question of when, not if.

Wired UK became digital-only, focusing on wired.com, a new app (launching first half of 2026), newsletters, and social platforms. The London office was rebuilt around audience development and EU reporting roles. Wired print continues in the US, Italy, Japan, and the Middle East.