By now, you’ve heard about Rogers Media’s deal with Next Issue Media. In a nutshell, the partnership will soon bring an all-you-can-read digital newsstand to Canada that will allow subscribers to read a number of Rogers and U.S. magazines on their tablets under a single subscription (the promo vid is below).
As the dust of this digital news settles on the media landscape, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on a few more of the comments made at Thursday’s launch event.
By the numbers
1 – senior Rogers’ executive positions directly affected by this news. Ken Whyte is leaving his post as president of Rogers Publishing to devote himself full-time to his new role within Rogers Media as Next Issue Canada’s president.
1 – bars set up in the room for journalists (0 – drinks I consumed at the event… If only I could turn back time).
4 – years since Rogers Media approached Next Issue to inquire about the digital newsstand service. When Rogers executives heard five media powerhouses in the States were getting together to put their content on one service, Whyte said “We thought that was a miracle.” At the time, Rogers was told to hang tight.
18 – months since Rogers re-approached Next Media to find out if they could work together to bring the service to Canada.
37 – approximate number of U.S. magazines on the service at that time.
115 – magazines currently included in the service.
2 – times Next Issue CEO Morgan Guenther used the word “giddy” to describe how thrilled Next Media is to have Rogers Media as a new partner.
3 – number of platforms (iPad, Androich and Win8) on which the Next Issue service is available.
5,000 – 6,000 – number of magazines Guenther said currently exist in the U.S.
65 – percentage of circulation and ad revenue in the U.S. magazine industry Guenther said the 115 magazines in Next Issue’s platform account for.
4 or 1 – the upcoming quarter in which Guenther said Next Issue’s app will be released. “And you’ll also see the first step into search recommendations… and personalization in all those features that are important to help you discover content we have.”
100 – years that Ken Whyte said Canada’s publishing industry has been trying to keep competition out. “We have had rafts and rafts of legislation designed to build a walled garden around Canadian content. We’ve had an attitude of cultural protectionism.”
10 – approximate number of years over which Whyte said public attitudes have changed. “There’s a different cultural outlook in Canada at the moment. I think the digital world has broken down a lot of barriers and I think consumers want to see our magazines, our talent stand alongside the best magazines in the world and compete. In this service, Canadian magazines and American magazines will be available to consumers on equal terms, both sides of the border. We are essentially going global as a Canadian content company.”
Disclosure: Rogers Media owns Marketing magazine and MarketingMag.ca
