The digital version (right cover) doesn’t include the 4 FREE posters noted in the print edition (left cover)
Male focused magazines dominate the recent digital circulation figures, according to Louise Ridley of MediaWeek, thanks in large part to guys’ early adoption of tablet technology.
And the top digital title for the first half of 2013?
“Future’s Total Film recorded the highest digital circulation of 12,280, a jump of 51.5 per cent year on year, in the latest report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, covering January to June 2013,” according to Ridley.
It makes perfect sense, especially looking at the digital cover. Tom Cruise, in full-on kick-ass gear, is ready to take on the world. Push a button on your tablet and see it in action. This kind of content is the perfect match for a digital magazine, with effects that at this point can’t be replicated widely print.
“Tablet is perfect for Total Film’s audience because of the level of interaction you can have with that kind of magazine, by using film pre-roll,” according to Laurel Kay at Havas Media, adding “I think women’s publications will catch up. Over Christmas, we noticed a huge rise in the number of tablets being sold, and the gender balance is becoming more equal. The more accessible tablets are, the more it’s going to balance out, like the print market which has around a 50-50 split.”
Other men’s titles make up the top four, from GQ to Top Gear Magazine.
What remains to be seen is how digital readership translates to print sales. Still an open question in the publishing world, but when the right audience meets the right content in the right format, magic continues to happen.
What do you think? Will digital magazines remain a largely male-dominated arena, or are women getting ready to suit up and step into the digital ring?