Magazine Publishers

Magazine Publishers

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Companies in this industry gather, write, and edit articles as well as sell and prepare advertisements to produce and distribute print or electronic magazines and periodicals. Major companies include Condé Nast, Dotdash Meredith, and Hearst (all based in the US), along with Arnoldo Mondadori Editore (Italy), Bauer Media Group and Gruner + Jahr (both based in Germany), and Sanoma (Finland).

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 US industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 60% of revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Revenue of companies in this industry include general interest magazines (over 80%); licensing of rights to use intellectual property (about 10%); and financial, professional, and academic publications (about 10%).