Research: The Magazine Industry

Within the US, the magazine industry is concentrated with 50 companies accounting for 60% of the total revenue, 65% of the revenue coming from general interest magazines. Common trends of the magazine industry include things such as the development of their websites due to the progression of technology. Most websites have been changed and adapted to keep up with the progression, sites are now adding more multimedia aspects to their sites as well as optimizing them so they’re open to view on different devices such as mobile phones. The progression of technology has also changed the way in which magazines are distributed, produced and consumed. Multimedia companies are growing and changes are being seen within the distribution system. Magazines are now also available in a digital format such as downloadable files. The industry also has many challenges when trying to keep producing and selling successful magazines. The industry has a massive dependency on advertising in order to gain revenue. With the increasing value of postal rates, companies are now starting to struggle in getting their products out there. The digital progression also adds challenges for the industry and readers are now able to retrieve content off online sources, destroying the need to buy the paper forms.