How the magazine industry has changed over the course of 50 years

1960-2000:-The golden years of the magazine industry
All of the advertising was going very strong, circulation levels were high and generally magazine companies were very profitable.

2006:-Social media threats
As technology rose, the Internet began to threaten the sales of printed magazines as they offered magazines to be available to read from the Internet. The expansions of Google and Facebook meant new opportunities for publishers to reach and attract new readers; these two websites became serious advertising competitors for consumer attention.

2007:- iPhones
And the iPad which was released in 2010, could let you read magazine, newspaper and book content. These new alternate media platforms proved attractive for audiences, they both became a big threat for publishers.

2008:- The financial crash
Ad revenue and circulation declined further. Circulation in the U.S dropped 20% from 2000 to 2010.

The big get bigger
The bigger magazine companies have bought into the smaller magazine companies. In the U.S, four of the biggest magazine publishers now are: Time Inc., Meredith, Hearst and Conde-Nast. All combined they own 50% of the U.S magazine market. For the small and middle magazine market it is proving a lot more difficult to survive.

Shift toward female-oriented publications and away from male ones
Newsstand sales are slowly decreasing but weekly magazines sold at checkouts have increased and it has a rise to the female-oriented magazine. Men have been seen to be more likely than women to read a magazine online rather than pay. This involves reinventing the industry.

2009:- Shift to consumer orientation
There has been a move from ad-centric publishing to consumer-centric publishing. Magazines must deliver their ideas and content over multiple platforms and compete with the Internet companies for the media attention and the advertising. The consumer magazine industry is becoming smaller than it used to be and is proving to be a lot more difficult to survive for the smaller companies.

How can magazines survive?

· Invest in digital enhancements and initiatives.
· Keep your company efficient and lean.
· Recruit staff that possesses new media skills.
· Keep up to date with what the audience want to see.
· Develop new ideas and applications to deliver the right services and content.