Curtain falls on 'Greatest Show on Earth' after 146 years

Ringling's parent company, Feld Entertainment, announced in January it would close the show, citing declining attendance and high operating costs.

Animal rights activists had targeted the circus, saying that forcing animals to perform and transporting them around the country amounted to abuse.

[...] in May 2016, the company removed elephants from its shows, but ticket sales continued to decline.

[...] though, Feld executives said they knew the circus couldn't compete with iPhones, the internet, video games and massively branded and carefully marketed characters.