• by Joe Mandese , November 9, 2005

Readers of digital versions of print magazines appear to be growing less reliant on print editions and are utilizing related digital options, including the websites and email updates of those publications, according to the third year of a reader profile study of one of the major digital publishing platform providers. The findings, which come from a custom Nielsen//NetRatings study of readers of digital magazines adapted by NewsStand Inc., finds the percentage of digital magazine readers who also read the publication's print edition has declined from 40.1 percent in 2003 to 29.0 percent in 2005.

Use of the magazine Web sites has fluctuated, but currently is averaging 55 percent of digital edition subscribers. Email updates has increased slightly, and RSS feeds, while still a small percentage, has doubled since 2004 to 4.0 percent in 2005.

Other Mediums Used By Digital Magazine Subscribers

                   2003
2004     2005  
RSS Feeds            NA     2.0%     4.0%  
Web Sites         63.5%    50.0%    55.0%  
Print             40.1%    30.0%    29.0%  
Email Updates     24.5%    18.0%
25.0%  

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings 2003, 2004 and 2005 profile studies of NewsStand Inc. readers. NA = not available.

The findings comes as the print world is trying to come to grips with its migration to digital media, and whether the legacy of printed formats will hold up in digital form. While some remain dubious, digital editions have grown to be a significant share of the subscribers of some trade publications, especially tech industry magazines.

According to data released Tuesday by magazine circulation auditor BPA Worldwide, top digital magazine titles have shown a dramatic increase in their "digital-only" subscription bases. All but one of the top 25 digital publications audited by the BPA, had double-digit growth in digital-only subscriptions during the reporting period ending June 30, 2005. The top digital title eWeek boosted its digital only subscribers 16.2 percent. Followed by a 30.0 percent gain for Computer Weekly, and a 32.9 percent gain for Redmond. The fastest-growing digital edition was Microscope, which grew 49.4 percent during the period.

Consumer magazine publishers also are wrestling with the conversion to digital. Some major publishers such as Playboy have already embraced digital editions, and the Magazine Publishers of America will hold its first digital publishing conference, "Magazines 24/7: Leveraging Consumer Magazine Brands In The Digital Age," Dec. 8 in New York.