Magazines Canada has launched its bilingual Magazines Canada Digital Newsstand.
Powered by Zinio, the site lets consumers browse and buy subscriptions, single copies and back issues at MagazinesCanada.Zinio.com, from their desktop or smartphones.
To read the magazines offline, readers must first download the Zinio Reader, which uses search and note-taking features.
“We need to try new things, and readers want information when they want it and how they want it,” said Laurie Alpern, director of communications, Magazines Canada. “Canadians are all over the world, so if they still want to be able to get Elle magazine…they can, right into their inbox.”
Among the 114 titles available are Maclean’s, Cottage Life, Alberta Venture, The Beaver, Style at Home, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Elle Canada, Geist, The Hockey News, Homemakers, LouLou and The Walrus. Consumer titles will be added regularly, and a business media newsstand is in development.
Publishers set the prices, with some offering discounts for the digital editions and subscriptions, said Alpern. A seven-issue subscription to Canadian Gardening can be purchased for $22.95, 34% off the cover price for example, or single issues for $4.95.
For auditing purposes, content (including advertising) cannot be deleted from the digital editions, however, it can be added with some publications beefing up their materials by 20%, said Alpern. Going Natural is the first publication to add video content, she said.
“Sharing the desire of Magazines Canada to serve Canada’s communities with the best-possible reading experience, Zinio enables consumers to browse, buy and interact with the magazines–subscriptions, single copies and back issues–they love, from multiple locations and devices,” said Rich Maggiotto, president and CEO, Zinio, in a release.
