As the demand for digital forms of media grows, many magazines and newspaper companies have begun to feel the pressure and have created non-print versions of their written works. Some are taking it even a step further, and instead of just having two types of media for the company, they’ve gone completely digital. One of the most recent magazine companies to say goodbye to print is Newsweek.
Newsweek has announced that as of January 2013, they will no longer be printing physical copies of their work. Instead, they will transition to an online and tablet-based format – having taken several months to adjust to their new format and get it “just right”.
The new version, called “Newsweek Global,” will only have a single, world-oriented edition every month. The magazine will still target the mobile, opinion-leading audience that loves to talk about worldwide events in a sophisticated way. Newsweek Global will not be free, though the fee for e-readers who hop on the boat now will be reduced. Limited amounts of their content will be available on The Daily Beast, a small subset website of Newsweek.
The Newsweek editor-in-chief posted to The Daily Beast’s blog recently. “Currently, 39 percent of Americans say they get their news from an online source, according to a Pew Research Center study released last month. In our judgment, we have reached a tipping point at which we can most efficiently and effectively reach our readers in all-digital format. This was not the case just two years ago. It will increasingly be the case in the years ahead.”
The need for an 80-year old magazine to go digital is the same need that many businesses are finding themselves with. The age of not having to be on the Internet is over; the days of necessary digital interactions are here.