Condé Nast claims huge increases in digital subs thanks to Newsstand

Condé Nast has reported a huge increase in digital subscription sales since the release of Apple’s new service Newsstand.

According to the publisher, new digital subscription sales of all nine titles available on the Newsstand app have increased, up 268% overall, while single copy sales are also up (142%) compared to sales in the previous eight weeks.

“We couldn’t be happier,” said Monica Ray, Condé Nast’s executive vice president consumer marketing. “It’s clear that the focused attention and greater discoverability Newsstand provides our brands has been embraced by the consumer.”

Future Publishing, meanwhile, claims that container apps for its titles were downloaded two million times in three days and has reported that consumer spending has increased. “Future has sold more digital editions in the past four days through Apple’s Newsstand than in a normal month,” according to CEO Mark Wood.

The numbers are thought to be a good start, though sceptics argue that without knowing the actual numbers, percentage increases mean little – as publishers could still be referring to a very small number of paid subscriptions.

MediaTel Group is hosting a Future of Consumer Magazines event on 18th November to discuss these issues. To find out more or to book a ticket, click here.