editions, the Next Issue Newsstand is demonstrating high engagement. Comprised of five companies – Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc, and News Corp, it uses a monthly subscription model with a flat membership fee – subscribers can access any one of the 72 titles included in the newsstand with no extra payment. The unlimited basic model, providing access to monthlies, is only $9.99; 40 per cent of the app’s 70,000 customers have signed up. The remaining 60 per cent have opted for the $14.99 unlimited premium model, which adds access to weeklies as well.
One magazine new to the mobile
fold, The Unlimited, is pushing the idea of what comprises a magazine into new territory: the interactive app occasionally feels more like a game than a magazine. A digital- only magazine, The Unlimited’s creators want to deliver “unique and engaging content that triggers more of the reader’s senses.”
the app is similar to a mobile-optimised website with a j-Query layout (think Pinterest boards), and the option to save content to a folder for later reading and sharing. Social sharing is built in; articles referring to other Atlantic content link directly to said content within the app.
More importantly, the magazine offers
a digital-only subscription for $22 per month (the print edition is $5; a print subscription is $24.50). And the mag’s push for a strong digital portfolio is working; October 2012 digital revenue was 28 per cent higher than the same month the previous year, with a boost of 33 per cent predicted for the entire year.
66 To date, this has included a saucy “how to
use this app” video with a flight attendant demonstrating page taps and swipes, tilt- enabled scanimated photographs, embedded audio and video (including a video running in the background of a text-interview), slideshows, galleries, and 3D views. Several other titles feature similar interactive content, though not on such a grand scale. (As a digital-only title, The Unlimited is able to dedicate a higher percentage of its resources to digital development than its print-and-digital competitors.)
Innovation is an essential part of the 21st century publishing sphere; in the past five