The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) reports that, among newspaper and magazine publishers it has surveyed, just 12% see themselves as being all-digital in the next five years. Fully 76% believe they will still have a print publication, while the remaining 12% is unsure or has no opinion.
That 76% sounds like high numbers, but, the survey reflects a significant shift. Only 5% surveyed in 2010 foresaw a digital-only future, versus the 12% today.
None can accuse ABC of print bias; while the organization was born to measure print circulation, it has a strong investment in digital measurement as well. In January, its ABC Interactive (ABCi) arm released the first mobile audit or m.Audit report, covering a publication’s app and mobile websites. ABC Interactive took this maiden voyage with the Orange County Register, and revealed that the newspaper’s mobile website averaged more than 4.5 million monthly page impressions. Also true, ABC and ABCi joined forces to conduct its 2011 survey “Going Mobile: How Publishers are Maturing and Monetizing Their Offerings.” Among the highlights from that survey, released in November 2011:
- Eighty-five percent of newspaper and magazine publishers surveyed had mobile content for smartphones, e-readers or tablet devices, which was up from 76% in 2010
- Newspapers at 88% were most likely to have mobile initiatives in place, followed closely by consumer magazines 83% and business publications 79%
- Development and maintenance costs were the key inhibitors to establishing a mobile presence
- Eighty-one percent of U.S. publishers had a mobile strategy, and reported that mobile websites account for up to 15% of overall website impressions.
