# Magazine iPad Subscribers 95% New Readers



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

From Advertising Age:


> *Ad Age:* Publishers have always hoped that many of their iPad-edition readers would be new to their brands, not existing readers cannibalized from print. When you look at the subscriber data from the iPad subscribers who allow you to see it, what do you see?
> 
> *Mr. Hano:* We are excited to report that we're getting a totally new audience in our tablet editions. At _Popular Science_ the data has proven that 2.1% of the email addresses that we have for our iPad subscribers match active print subscribers while 2.7% match expired print subscribers. So that says to us that something on the order of 95% of the iPad subscribers are new to subscribing to _Popular Science_.


The article offers additional data that appears to make it likely that magazines will find tablet subscription systems profitable, such as about 50% of subscribers are agreeing to subscriber info sharing.

I hope this reflects a trend for magazines that will be seen in the newspaper industry in the future. And I guess it reflects a trend that many people still like to read.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

2 caveats:

Many current subscribers might be waiting for their print edition to end, before grabbing the online version.

Many current subscribers might not have provided an Email address when subscribing to the hard copy, making them now appear as a new subscriber.


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

spartanstew said:


> 2 caveats:
> 
> Many current subscribers might be waiting for their print edition to end, before grabbing the online version.
> 
> Many current subscribers might not have provided an Email address when subscribing to the hard copy, making them now appear as a new subscriber.


I thought some publishers were allowing their print subscribers access to the online app.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

klang said:


> I thought some publishers were allowing their print subscribers access to the online app.


Perhaps some, but it doesn't sound as if the publications in the data do.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

klang said:


> I thought some publishers were allowing their print subscribers access to the online app.


The ones that I know do include Time, SI and People. There are a couple of others but I do not know who they are off the top of my head.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

The data is still limited, so the percentages probably don't reflect accurately. Since _The New Yorker_ and _TIME_ joined the ranks allowing existing subscribers to add the iPad edition for free, my guess is will see more accurate data soon.

It is interesting that _Popular Science_ has picked up 16,000 iPad subscribers regardless of the percentages. I know their print subscriber levels as a percentage of the population are pitiful compared to when I was young. So maybe there is hope.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Popular Science is one that is charging more per issue for the iPad version than the hard-copy. Not exactly what I would expect!!


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

Conde Nast rolled out four more magazine subscription apps today. I was curious how many there were now but I don't see a way to search the app store just for magazines.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

dennisj00 said:


> Popular Science is one that is charging more per issue for the iPad version than the hard-copy. Not exactly what I would expect!!


Likewise, e-books are more expensive than paperbacks (and B&N doesn't give the membership discount for e-books, e-magazines or Nooks).


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

bobnielsen said:


> Likewise, e-books are more expensive than paperbacks (and B&N doesn't give the membership discount for e-books, e-magazines or Nooks).


That's not necessarily true. Regarding magazines, I just added _TIME_ and _The New Yorker_ to my print subscriptions for nothing. And I regularly get books from Amazon (using the iPad Kindle App) cheaper than a paperback, even the WalMart paperback price.

The new Apps are for _Vanity Fair_, _Glamour_, _Golf Digest_ and _Allure_. For print subscribers it's free. I've already set it up on my wife's iPad for _Vanity Fair_.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Car and Driver through the app appears to be free right now. At least it was last night.


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