Publishing+Heavies+Joining+Forces+on+Digital+Newsstand

Publishing Heavies Join Forces on Digital Newsstand - Richard Adhikari, E-Commerce Times à http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/business/68751.html

ANALYSIS

The major magazine publishers Conde Nast, Time, and Hearst are planning on forming a digital publishing company that will focus on making digital copies of their magazines so that they can be read across a number of different platforms. As we all know, the publishing industry has struggled with the transition to digital as people are reading books, magazines, and newspapers less and less, and switching to blogs, e-books, and news websites for their content. The proposed company would focus on creating digital copies of their content that can be read across a number of different platforms such as the Apple Iphone, Blackberry, and the Kindle from Amazon. The content would be available through a store with a setup similar to Itunes. The article points out that the key to the success of this venture is to have the digital format of the content be device neutral, as we are in the age where there are a number of devices battling for supremacy in the market and there is no telling which one will be the dominant one. With everything going the way of mobile for convenience, I am rather surprised that they did not come up with this idea sooner. But overall, this is a move in the right direction for this industry, and is long overdue. It will bring value to the consumer by allow them to purchase digital copies of books, magazines, and the like for use with their Iphones, Blackberries, or other mobile devices, which are becoming increasingly popular.

Would any of you find this new “digital newsstand” useful to you, or would you rather the regular paper content?

What are the barriers to the success of such a venture, beside making the digital formats device neutral?

Do you believe that the this venture will be embraced by avid book/magazine readers? Why or why not?