reformatted it to fit a variety of screens (which, in those early days of ereading, most likely were basic Sony ereaders, PalmPilots, and a few, rather large mobile phones).
In the years since, Zinio has become
the key player in the digital media stakes, with apps available across Apple, Google, and Windows machines, alongside ereader editions (including the Kindle and Nook) and a browser interface.
At the time of this writing, Zinio boasts an impressive 5,000 titles, available in 33 languages and 23 currencies (Apple’s Newsstand, by comparison, vaguely quotes “more than” 5,000 magazines and newspapers).
Despite its commanding position,
Zinio isn’t resting on its laurels – through a partnership with ShopAdvisor, Zinio is already exploring built-in ecommerce models.
In 2013, Zinio will also be testing a host of
new content-discovery features and pricing models, including a three-title subscription option called Z-Pass. (The company is also taking on Amazon with an easy-to-use self- publishing suite for do-it-yourselfers.)
“Zinio has never been in a better position
to lead the future of digital publishing,” Rusty Lewis, Zinio chief executive officer and executive chairman said in December 2012. “We have a tremendous team and a unique set of content and technology
from which to scale this business.” But equally promising in its content and
technology offering is a new player in town. Next Issue Media (NIM), a start-up venture between Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp, and Time Inc, that launched in 2009 but took more than two years to get off the ground. NIM finally made waves with its Netflix-like subscription plan when it opened its newsstand in April 2012.
Starting exclusively with 32 titles
from its internal stables, Next Issue has since doubled its library to 72 and is now looking to add a selection of titles from outside its consortium of founders.
“We’re not going to be adding dozens
of titles, we’ll cherry-pick our way,” Next Issue Media CEO Morgan Guenther told in October 2012. “If you look at the titles we have now, the model is high-circulation marquee titles. We’ll continue to focus on that plus complements to the catalogue. I don’t think you’re going to see us take the long-tail approach with 5,000 magazines. It’s more about mass readers and how we can capture that group more effectively.”
Is bringing competitors’ titles into the fold a potentially dangerous move?
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Zinio boast an impressive 5,000 titles in 33 languages and 23 currencies.