According to the pundits, the magazine industry
has been in critical condition…supposedly. So why did Dr. Oz -- whose good
sense and business savvy few would doubt -- announce recently that he is
launching a new lifestyle magazine with Hearst?
Every report of the demise of magazines inevitably cites a decline in newsstand
sales, a metric which remains the most quoted industry barometer, despite the
fact that it’s not an accurate reflection of consumer demand. Today, newsstand
sales account for less than 10% of total paid circulation. Decreases in that
area are largely the byproduct of secular brick-and-mortar retail trends, as
well as a shift in consumer preference in where and how they purchase their
magazines.
Consumer demand for magazine media -- across all platforms -- isn’t just
holding steady, it’s growing. The audience in print and on tablets is up 2%
(GfK MRI S’ 2013 v. S’ 2012). The readership for print rose 2% this spring, and
tablet audiences alone grew 72.9% since last year. There are nearly 312 million
print magazines in circulation in the U.S., where the total population is just
under 314 million. So in print copies alone, magazines have the country
covered.
