• by Melynda Fuller , March 8, 2018

Video and mobile-first pivots have become ubiquitous over the past few years, and Magazine Media 360°'s latest numbers reflect those efforts.

According to its latest audience report, the association’s numbers shows strong growth in video, up 13% from January 2017, and a mobile audience increase of 1.6%.

Print and digital numbers were flat, with a decrease of -1.7%, web (desktop/laptop) declined by -5.5%, signaling the migration to mobile.

Audience numbers, however, remain steady—a -.5% decrease across the 118 magazine brands used in the analysis.

Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of MPA—The Association of Magazine Media, stated: “Year-after-year, we continue to see total magazine media audiences grow, proving that consumers don’t choose one format at the expense of another, rather, they enjoy magazine content across platforms.” 

One point of note is the recent unpredictability of mobile web audience numbers. The study acknowledges that gauging mobile results has become increasingly difficult because of a 2017 revision to comScore’s Mobile Metrix methodology to weed out bots and fraudulent activity. 

“After two-and-a-half years of double-digit growth—from the mid-2014 launch of Magazine Media 360° through the end of 2016—the 2017 Mobile Unique Visitor counts for our reported magazine media brands showed erratic gains and losses in consecutive reporting,” Jeri Dack, director of research initiatives, MPA—The Association of Magazine Media stated.

However, mobile audience numbers remain big and are growing annually. The study suggests those numbers are more reliable than percentages.