The owners of the Daily Beast sold Newsweek recently, and the new owners immediately announced that they would resurrect the print edition (it had been a digital only title for over a year). What does that say about the future of digital magazines?
For a publisher to offer a magazine in print format once again says a lot about the changing direction of the magazine industry. CSS has carried digital magazines offered by Zinio since 2006, and while I would like to say that the sales have been scintillating, frankly, they haven’t. But that seems to be the norm for digital titles overall–a great and versatile medium for reading publications, but still in its infancy in reaching readers.
While at this writing we haven’t received authorization to carry Newsweek print (we do offer the digital version), from what we’ve heard it will be a $7.99 cover price. That may be where we are headed with print versions–higher prices to cover lower advertiser participation.
We still feel that there will always be a place for print versions of magazines, along with the newer digital platforms. At College Subscription Services, we’re happy to offer both.
College Subscription Services 