• by Sara Guaglione , May 24, 2018

Magazine media audiences on mobile web and video were at six-month highs in April, compared to the same month the year prior, according to the 360° Brand Audience Report from MPA – The Association of Magazine Media.

Audiences on the mobile web grew by 9.9% and video increased by 26.5% compared to April 2017.

This is the seventh month in a row for mobile web audience growth (unique visitors that visit a site on a mobile device). April's nearly 10% increase compared to a year ago is the highest increase during that period, according to MPA.

Sixty-four percent of the 119 magazine brands included in the report experienced increases to their mobile web audiences versus a year ago.

About three-quarters of those brands showed a double- or triple-digit increase. 

Web audiences -- those consuming content from magazine brands on a desktop or laptop -- dropped by 4.7%, continuing a downward trend as audiences favor other platforms. 

MPA says it is seeing audiences move from the large to small screen: the mobile web audience increase of over 50 million compared to April 2017 is more than five times the web audience decrease of just over 10 million. 

"We have not witnessed this type of dramatic swing in the last year and a half," stated MPA.

The increase in video audiences is the highest percentage increase since last October. There are now 84 brands with video audience data reported by comScore, and 40% of these brands have video audiences of 400,000 or higher. Total magazine media audience is up 2.5% in April 2018 for the brands in the report.

Print and digital audiences -- which include those that consume electronic issues of a publication, such as on an e-reader or app -- dipped slightly by 1.7%.

ESPN The Magazine, People, WebMD, Time and AARP magazines had the highest average monthly audience in April 2018 across print and digital, web, mobile web and video platforms, according to the report.

The top five magazines with the highest average monthly audience growth in April compared to the same month a year prior were: Town & Country (75%), Harper's Bazaar (67%), W (59%), Motorcyclist (54%) and Entrepreneur (52%).