Magazine and newspaper publishers embrace mobile

Arlington Heights, Ill.—Eighty-five percent of the magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and Canada currently offer mobile content for e-readers, smartphones or tablets, according to a survey published by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Just 76% of magazines and newspapers offered mobile content last year, according to ABC.

The survey, “Going Mobile: How Publishers Are Maturing and Monetizing Their Offerings,” found that 88% of newspapers, 83% of consumer magazines and 79% of business publications offered mobile content.

A significant amount of publishers produced content for Apple mobile devices, such as the iPhone (61%) and the iPad (54%). At the same time, publishers are skeptical of the Apple Newsstand, with just 8% saying Apple's Newsstand approach was favorable to publishers. Additionally, 42% of respondents said the publishing industry needs to develop an alternative to Apple.

The online survey, conducted in September, drew 171 respondents.