Australian Newsagency Blog

Media UK has published an interesting list of Uk magazines on Twitter, ranked by number of followers.  I expect that comparing the top ten magazines on Twitter with retail sales in the UK will show migration from one platform to the other.

[Read more →]

MinOnline published a report yesterday about magazines emerging on the iPhone platform.  It seems that Paople magazine in the US is enjoying considerable success.
People magazine’s iPhone app appears to be a major hit, as it remains high on the App Store’s bestseller list weeks after its release. In many ways, People was tailor-made for mobile. […]

[Read more →]

Olga Kharif writing at Business Week suggests that Amazon is looging beyond the Amazon Kindle reader to smartphones as a commerce platform.  Newsagents should read the article for a perspective on the new distribution model.  Our role in supporting these media access devices will be in picking up a bit of account top up business, […]

[Read more →]

MediaPost reports that a digital version of PC Magazine for the Amazon Kindle reader hgas been launched.  The subscription cost is US$1.49 a month.  The print edition of PC Magazine closed in January.

[Read more →]

Apple pulled an iPhone app this week which provided access to images of topless women. (The LA Times has more on this.)  It will be interesting to see if the device continues to be used as a censorship tool because if it does, maybe this is a green shoot for some publishers.

[Read more →]

My blog post about the Men’s Health iPhone app drew no comments yet a blog post yesterday afternoon about magazine subscriptions drew plenty.  Our thinking remains rooted in the old world, the world with which we are more familiar.
The Men’s Health iPhone app demonstrates a smart way for a masthead to engage with its community […]

[Read more →]

Men’s Health magazine in the US has launched an Apple iPhone app to guide work outs.  This is a new way for a magazine to engage with readers.  While some will want to read about how to workout, others will like that the more engaged partnership this app brings.  The AdAge report says Apple says […]

[Read more →]

Reader’s Digest announced in the US overnight that it will cut issues from next year and only publish 12 issues of the print publication while expanding its digital products.  By digital they could mean online, Kindle, iPhone, digital magazines and other platform opportunities outside of print.  MediaPost has a good report covering the moves including […]

[Read more →]

In an article published at Business Spectator yesterday, Alan Kolher sees the handling of micropayments as key to newspaper and magazine publishers monetising content online.  His comments fit with those of Rupert Murdoch over the last couple of weeks.  They also fit with the announcement at the Apple developers conference last week where they announced […]

[Read more →]

Newsagents will be interested to read Digital Britain, a 245 page report from the UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills which lays out plans for Britain to take a leadership position as a digital knowledge economy. At the heart of the plan is a distribution channel which imagines less paper based communication.
This report is […]

[Read more →]

Amazon started shipping the latest version of its Kindle reader late last week.  All initial stock was sold out in three days according to Information Week.
While note avauilable here, the buzz is building demand for the Kindle or similar devices here.  I’d expect the eventual launch to be like the iPhone which was delayed in […]

[Read more →]

Catch Magazine, a digital magazine for fly fishing fans, is an excellent example of what can be achieved in the digital format compared to print.  Besides visually stunning content, they are using the medium to provide readers and advertisers a level of engagement which commercially valuable as well as entertaining.
Catch Magazine is an excellent example […]

[Read more →]

Why is aged news better than real news?  This is one of several fascinating questions posed by Jason Jones to the Assistant Editor and other representatives of The New York Times in a report produced for The Daily Show on TV last week.  Watch it…

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

End […]

[Read more →]

The announcement this week of in-app commerce is game changing for newspaper and magazine publishers.  Where previously they, directly or through a ‘distributor’ could sell a product to be delivered through the iPhone and would need to sell another for the next issue or subscription, using in-app commerce, they will be far more easily able […]

[Read more →]

New Media Age reports that Borders in the UK is preparing to launch a digital newsagency - offering magazine downloads.  While an interesting move, I don’t see this as a long term strategy.  Magazines of the future will not be a digital version of the print product.

[Read more →]

The new Apple iPhone which was launched in San Francisco yesterday extends the disruption of print media with a host of new features.  For a good summary in the context of print media and our newsagency businesses, check out these links: Editorsweblog,  The Atlantic (asking if the new iPhone can save journalism), Editor and Publisher […]

[Read more →]

Fox Business has published another video interview with Rupert Murdoch in which he talks about, among other things, newspapers.  He makes interesting comments about migration online.  Check it out:

Reuters has several quotes from Rupert Murdoch including this about newspapers:
“Communications are changing totally and we’re moving into the digital age and it’s going to change newspapers. […]

[Read more →]

Editor & Publisher has overnight published a report about Apple’s new iPhone operating system which could be good news for newspaper publishers.  Apparently, new technology will enable the publishing of highly location targeted content and advertising, based on where the iPhone is at the time.  E&P interviewed Art Howe, CEO of Verve Wireles:
The new technology […]

[Read more →]

David Earnest has released an iPhone application which provides access to newspapers from around the world and a similar application for magazines. He has collected links to hundreds and grouped them by location.What is interesting to me about this is that it’s not available from the Australian iPhone store.

[Read more →]

Google last month previewed a new product, Google Wave.  Developed by Google in Sydney - yes, here in Australia … this should be a huge story locally - Google Wave is a product which has the potential to change the way we communicate and collaborate online.  It is the collaboration facilities which make Wave interesting […]

[Read more →]

Google web elements is one reason newspaper publishers don’t like Google so much. Embedding newspaper content via Google is easy.  Newspaper publishers don;t like not having control over their distribution channel.  The thing is, if they refuse their content to Google they will lose eyeballs on their brand. The element below aggregating news […]

[Read more →]

The Kindle for iPhones application puts Amazon’s Kindle books, magazines and newspapers on the radar for Australians.  I wonder if this is Amazon testing which markets to enter with the Kindle proper.  It will be interesting to see if Australian publishers embrace this.  They should.  It’s a whole new market.

[Read more →]

PaidContent reports that a group of US newspaper executives met secretly to discuss charging for online content.  Their next moves will be crucial.  If they get this wrong they will suffer the same consequences of films, videos and music and have their content made available free through a variety of sources online.  The Atlantic has […]

[Read more →]

Here is Rupert Murdoch talking about the future of newspapers. A must watch for newsagents.  The opening questions is: will there be newspapers?

This interview is interesting in the context of contract newspaper distribution negotiations. I remain unconvinced about the need for contracts.
The interview follows an ad for the Fox Business Network.
Every day there […]

[Read more →]

Instead of an analog paper printed on paper you may get it on a panel which would be mobile, which will receive the whole newspaper over the air, (and) be updated every hour or two.  You’ll be able to get the guts or the main headlines and alerts and everything on your Blackberry, on your […]

[Read more →]