Total magazine media audiences ”“ measured across online and offline channels ”“ grew by 6.4% year-over-year in 2016, exceeding 1.7 billion, according to a recent MPA report. Magazine brands’ video audiences showed the fastest growth, of 49.7%, followed by mobile web audiences, which grew by 24.9%.
Print and digital editions, for their part, maintained the largest average audience, but were stagnant in audience numbers, down by 0.4%. These editions accounted for a slight majority of the total audience (52.4%).
Research suggests that print magazine readership in the US has remained steady over the past couple of years, continuing to outnumber digital audiences.
Meanwhile, close to 8 in 10 brands tracked enjoyed increases in mobile web audiences, with more than three-quarters of those seeing growth in the double- or triple-digit percentages. Overall, mobile web audiences have grown to account for almost one-third (30.9%) of the total cross-platform magazine audience.
ESPN The Magazine sported the largest average audience of the year. Domino Media Group’s domino magazine saw the greatest growth in total audience with a 56% increase, followed by The New Yorker, which jumped by 44%.
About the Data: Data for The MPA Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience Report is collected by MPA ”“ The Association of Magazine Media from participating brands who provide their third”party data to MPA around the 15th of every month for the previous month’s activity. Participating brands must be tracked in GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer® (print + digital editions), GfK MRI’s Teenmark® or the Ipsos Affluent Survey USA as well as any or all of web (desktop/laptop), mobile web, and/or video as tracked by comScore or Nielsen Online.
