Meredith Print Advantage

With new technology like the iPad and other tablets, magazines are offering digital
copies of their content. The question is, how many consumers are taking advantage
of the content magazines are offering digitally?

There were an estimated 1.46 million digital subscriptions last year, and since
then, numbers have grown to 3.29 million according to publisher’s reports. This
makes for a 125% increase, but these subscriptions continue to only represent
1% of total magazine subscriptions. This means that print still accounts for almost
all of magazine subscriptions, and the digital market is growing, but not as fast as
anticipated by some. All of these numbers come from publisher’s reports as well.

Tablets continue to become more popular, so we will definitely continue to see
growth in digital copies. Subscribers who use tablets to access magazine content are
unique in that they typically purchase just one issue at a time.

However, companies like Next Issue Media (www.nextissue.com), a joint business
venture formed by the five leading U.S. based publishers, are making it easier
to subscribe digitally to one or all of your favorite titles. The company recently
launched an all-new tablet newsstand and app that features 38 of the world’s most
popular titles with pricing plans starting at $9.99 per month.

Overall, magazines publishers will continue to enhance the consumer magazine
experience and make their content accessible to subscribers – whether they pick up
a printed copy or the digital version.