NEA Task 3 : Research into the UK Magazine Industry

 

Following my research into the UK magazine industry, I have discovered how big the industry is, who the biggest publishers are, the recent change in their market share, it’s evolution throughout the years as well as it’s predicted growth for the next foreseeable future.

The future of magazines holds an increase in demand for creative and interactive print. This is amplified due to the diversity of magazine titles that hold a major focus on education, entertainment, information and other customer needs. The growth of the magazine industry all around the world is expected to continue growing by 0.5% up to 1% yearly until 2026. A massive contributor to this stat is the contribution of smart phones and tablet devices.  The increased availability of high-speed broadband's led to the audience being able to stream and download content easier, thus becoming more popular. Due to this, various publishers have been creating content in digital formats specifically for easy access for mobile users with the hopes of improving customer engagement as well as bringing in a wider audience.

Publishers are finding innovative ways to increase their customers’ interactions and the reliability of magazines overall. This includes attracting the attention of more readers to their websites through campaign-specific links and interactive printed adverts followed by building awareness. Whilst doing so, they’re also increasing customer engagement. An example of this would be GQ France, who launched a mobile app to improve the digital experience for its subscribers, it offers content from the printed magazine and also some exclusive content for style, food, fashion and well-being. It also offers additional masterclasses, podcasts and weekly competitions. Each month 76% of adults have been reached by UK magazine media.

Some of the top advertisers for magazines are Sainsbury’s, Johnson & Johnson, Apple, Channel and VictoriaPlum. 63% of adults access to read through a digital format, and this stat is growing continuously. 72% of readers see it as a time well spent and 91% believe that what they read is trustworthy.

Press Gazette has analysed data from the past two decades on how the UK consumer magazine industry has changed, simultaneously revealing how the sector is being reshaped. Magazines have been hit by sharp falls in advertising revenue, which have fallen by 33% from 2019 to 2020 and has still not recovered. However, digital revenues have been on the rise, but unfortunately are still yet to compensate for the decline. Furthermore, the total circulation of magazines has also been on the decline, falling from 1.6 billion in 2000 to 565 million in last year. This means consumer expenditure also shrunk down to 669 million in 2020 compared with 1.4 billion in 2000. This sharp fall in spending has lead to a large amount of UK magazines closing.

The ownership of the UK magazine industry is still quite diverse compared to newspapers. The leading companies include Bauer Media, Immediate Media Company and Future Plc, who own around 37% of circulation in 2020. The three major publishers who hold the most market share are IT Media, Bauer and BBC who have been responsible for 42% of all magazine copies that have circulated, which is a small increase compared to 41% in leading publishers back in 2000. The single-biggest company is Mark Allen, who accounted for 12% of B2B magazine circulation in 2020.

 

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Completed NEA

Dear Moderator,  My name is Kamilla-Zasmin Bilaniva. Welcome to my A Level Media Studies blog. This is a record of the work I have undertake...