TV Sites Beat Mags On The Web

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Jan 1, 2004 by Jeff Bercovici

Byline: Jeff Bercovici

Many publishers still don't know whether the Internet is friend or foe - and a new study from the Online Publishers Association explains why. Some 46 percent of visitors to magazine Web sites, such as ESPN.com and Epicurious.com, say they rarely or never use the related offline brand, according to a survey of 25,852 Internet users conducted for the OPA by Frank N. Magid Associates. In comparison, 81 percent of TV site users say they frequently or occasionally watch the related channel or program.

These findings raise the specter of whether mags are in danger of losing readers to their own Web sites. Underscoring this question is data showing that Web site users trust information from online brands and look forward to using it more than their offline counterparts.

But publishers shouldn't necessarily find such responses alarming, says Martin Eichholz, Magid's director of research. "It depends on the organizational goal," he says. While TV nets have been more effective than magazines (and newspapers) at turning viewers into what he terms "multichannelers," there is value in cultivating a distinct online readership. "There's two sides to the coin," says Eichholtz. Surfers who rarely or never read the magazine aren't freeloaders but potential customers, adds Sarah Chubb, president of CondeNet. "We're finding people that we've been unable to find before," she says. "That's a great subscription opportunity at a time when other channels are dryer than they were five years ago."