Research Task One : How has the UK consumer magazine industry evolved?

The consumer magazine industry suffers from similar issues to problems plaguing all forms of print media in modern times, although some forms of consumer magazine have suffered more significant declines than others. To put it simply, the recent emergence of the internet and online media has impacted the sales and relevance of print magazines to a high degree, as fewer audiences desire to purchase a printed magazine or subscription every week when the same (or expanded) media is available online for free, with live updates. Recent factors such as the 2020 Pandemic have also impacted newsstand sales and the distribution of free magazine titles to a significant degree. Restrictions brought on by these events limited physical print distribution substantially, as fewer people purchased physical magazine from shops and media outlets. This has contributed to the rapid decline of consumer magazine sales, which fell by upwards of 33% from 2019-2020.

Many consumer magazine companies have attempted to rectify the issues associated with online media by evolving their business strategies to better suit the modern media climate. Many associated businesses have changed their branding from 'magazine businesses' to categories such as 'passion, hobby and audience businesses' in order to appeal to a wider audience and to receive a better chance of receiving viewership in online algorithms. Furthermore, some companies (such as Conde Nast) have transitioned to an almost exclusively online presence as figures show its audiences now predominantly interact with its websites and social media services rather than its magazines.

There have been some anomalies however, as News and Official government Media distribution have largely remained intact through the changing media climate. While many genres of consumer magazine (such as Men's and Music) have seen a significant decline in popularity in favour of the services provided by online outlets and sites, sales and distribution of physical newspapers and articles have remained popular amongst the general public. This may have occurred due to a litany of reasons, although some key factors may include a largely older age demographic purchasing daily newspapers, and the reliability of key information. News stories and articles are readily available all over the internet on Free online services, although recent years have shown a sharp spike in misinformation and fake journalism amongst the general public as unofficial sources of news have created conflicting reports on stories, creating confusion and bending of truths. This has resulted in Official newspaper companies like the Guardian and the Daily Mirror retaining much of their pre-online audience as they provide a predominantly reliable and trustworthy source of information for their targeted audiences.

Advertising Revenue as a whole has largely fallen on a physical distribution basis over the past 20 years, with circulating consumer magazine numbers falling from over 1.6 billion in 2000, to only 565 million as of 2021. This shows the significant shift from print to online media, as fewer magazines are printed from lower demand. Thereby forcing businesses to change their economic business models to an online or subscription-based form in order to remain profitable and relevant in the modern media climate.