April 17, 2012. Volume 15, Number 4

 

Magazines Gain Strength Post-Recession

The Tally of Launches and Closures for 2010 and 2011 has been released. Results show that the number of closures has decreased quite notably since 2009, and the number of launches is on the rise.

Between 2010 and 2011 alone, launches increased by 46%. Although number of launches only grew from 13 to 19, the increase is still promising, taking into account the abrupt decrease in the number of launches during the recession (compare 2008 to 2009-10). In the last two years as the market has strengthened and publishers have regained confidence, a total of 20 consumer, 9 business and 3 custom titles have been launched.

The number of closures for 2010 and 2011 is at the lowest it has ever been, even before tallying began in 1999. Very few magazines succumbed to the recession, demonstrating the business smarts of publishers and the viability of the print medium even through economic hard times. 

Category Growth

The categories of City/Regional General Interest, Leisure/Recreation/Sports/Travel, and Lifestyle saw the most growth in 2010 and 2011 with three titles each. Typically, these categories have been the strongest in terms of year-over-year growth and continue to trend this way.Category Growth

To see launches and closures by category for the last 10 years, download the Consumer and Business Media reports.

PMB 2012 Spring Report Shows
Ongoing Stability in Evolving
Digital Environment

Printed magazines continue to demonstrate stable readership. PMB’s Spring 2012 report, measuring 99 titles, shows a consistent one million readers per title, on average, over the past four reports. Despite strong growth in digital media, print reading remains steady as consumers continue to engage with their favourite magazines:

Printed magazines continue to demonstrate stable readership. PMB’s Spring 2012 report, measuring 99 titles, shows a consistent one million readers per title, on average, over the past four reports. Despite strong growth in digital media, print reading remains steady as consumers continue to engage with their favourite magazines:

The average number of readers per copy also remains unchanged, fluctuating within a very tight range:

A similar stability is clearly evident in attitudes to printed magazine reading, with respect to the time Canadians spend reading magazines and the degree of interest they attribute to magazines:

Magazines are actively read across all age demographics, especially younger Canadians, including the 12–24 demographic, who read magazines as a fundamental part of their media consumption: