According to an Oct. 1, 2009 press release issued by BPA Worldwide, its members are finding value in electronic editions. The total count of BPA members reporting digital copies rose 18.2 % to 338 in June 2009, up from 286 in June 2008. On average, e-editions made up 15.4% of total circulation for all BPA members reporting them on their June 2009 statements.
Greg Hansen, BPA's President and CEO, explained "From a publisher's perspective, e-editions offer potential for realizing distribution and circulation marketing cost efficiencies. On the international circulation front, they make it possible to overcome the traditional delivery and challenges of timeliness, which makes them attractive to international business readers. Publishers who offer digital editions also have the opportunity to increase consumer engagement..."
He goes on to highlight a few value added ways to connect readers with advertisers and mentions the benefits to subscribers.
I took a look at the top 25 magazines listed by volume of digital subscriptions and noticed that although BPA counts more than 300 consumer magazines in its membership, none of these were on the top 25 list. It appears that B-2-B and niche magazines are benefiting from targeting an online subscription base. And it makes sense that a business professional might want to have less paper delivered to an office and instead be able to access the latest edition of a trade publication as soon as its put to bed — especially if one travels a lot.
Still, this bit of a rise in subscriptions to digital editions seems to back up the MPA's report that its members are also seeing a rise in online subscriptions.
Comments