• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 12, 2008

Consumer magazines launched 65 new digital initiatives in the first quarter of 2008, according to the Magazine Publishers of America. The number is up 14% from last year--as magazines take advantage of new online capabilities, including video, and new distribution channels, such as mobile devices. The digital initiatives also focused on integrated marketing and content sharing.

Notable first-quarter launches from the MPA tally include The Atlantic's launch of "The Current," an online magazine that covers breaking news (as opposed to The Atlantic's notoriously thoughtful in-depth reporting, analysis and essays). The magazine lso made its archives available for free online.

BusinessWeek began offering more user-generated content, online channels and video. Car and Driver introduced inventory feature searches, shopping tools, photos and bar codes scannable by mobile phone cameras. Forbes introduced a new online blog network, while National Geographic launched a wiki-portal, dedicated search tools and social networking.

A number of magazines announced content-sharing partnerships, hoping to use the ease and breadth of Web distribution to raise awareness of their content and draw more viewers to their sites. New content-sharing deals were announced by New York, Nylon, Real Simple and TV Guide. Meanwhile, integrated marketing programs were launched by People en Espanol, Spin and TV Guide.

The full listing of all 65 digital initiatives in the first quarter is available at the MPA Web site: www.magazine.org.