Magazine Publishers Industry Overview

Excerpt from Magazine Publishers Report

Companies in this industry produce and distribute magazines and other periodicals in print or electronic form, such as gathering, writing, and editing articles, and selling and preparing advertisements. Major US companies include Advance Magazine Publishers (doing business as Condé Nast), Meredith, and the magazine divisions of diversified media companies such as Hearst, News Corporation, and Time Warner.

Competitive Landscape

Demand for magazines is driven largely by growth in consumer income. The profitability of individual companies depends highly on marketing expertise. Small companies can compete by specializing in niche topics and markets, while larger companies benefit from a wide selection of magazine titles to offer advertisers. Large companies also have economies of scale in production and distribution. The industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 60 percent of revenue.

Products, Operations & Technology

Products include weekly and monthly general interest magazines, industry trade publications, and various nonprint information products like CDs and Internet websites. General interest magazines account for about 65 percent of industry revenue; arts and leisure magazines, 20 percent; and financial, professional, and academic publications, 15 percent.