• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 2, 2012

One hundred and eighty-one new magazines launched in the first nine months of 2012, according to MediaFinder.com, an online database of U.S. and Canadian publications owned by Oxbridge Communications, reflecting an optimism that appears to defy the tough print advertising environment.

The number of new launches compares to just 61 titles that closed over the same period.
 
However, the number of new launches is down slightly from 200 in the nine months of 2011, and the number of closures declined even more steeply in 2012 to date -- from 128 in the first nine months of 2011.
 
As in previous reports from MediaFinder.com, the new launches were dominated by categories such as regional interest, food, and luxury lifestyle titles, including Mudand Magnolias, Prevention Guide Top Chef Family Cookbook, Du Jour and M.

Some of the shuttered titles were digital-only publications, including several magazines created by Nomad Editions for the iPad.
 
On the B2B side, 25 new titles launched in the first nine months of 2012, compared to 12 B2B titles that closed.
 
The MediaFinder.com report comes on the heels of more good news for the magazine business. A positive analysis by eMarketer predicts that digital revenues will lift overall magazine revenues in coming years, despite decreases on the print side.

Thanks to digital advertising’s growing contribution, total magazine ad revenues will increase from $18.3 billion in 2012 to $18.6 billion in 2013, $18.8 billion in 2014, and $19 billion in 2015, per the eMarketer forecast.