• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 17, 2006

Consumer magazines are increasingly beefing up their online initiatives--adding video, podcasts and blogs to their Web sites, according to a new study by the Magazine Publishers of America.

Last quarter, large consumer magazines that belong to the MPA launched 40 new digital initiatives, up from 29 in the second quarter and 16 in the first. The ventures cover a range of magazine categories serving varied audience demographics.

Among the new projects are BusinessWeek's roll-out of new mobile editions and content for PDA and cell phones, video playing networks on the Forbes Web site, interactive dating blogs from Glamour, a service from Lucky that allows users to buy via text messages from phones, a broadband video channel from Time Out New York, and Seventeen's partnership with MySpace.

"The initiatives we've tracked illustrate the tremendous growth and innovation taking place on magazine digital platforms," said Nina Link, president and CEO of the MPA, in a statement.

The announcement about the initiatives comes in the week before the American Magazine Conference, where magazine publishers and media executives are expected to focus on magazines' move to the Internet.