Magazines Give Reason To Be Hopeful About Print In 2014

The magazine industry has some rather unexpected news.

Magazines have showed surprising growth so far this year, with more new titles coming out in the first quarter of 2014 than in the same period in 2013. The New York Post reported that 45 magazines launched from January through March this year, compared with only 27 in the first quarter of the previous year.

And that's not all. The quality of the magazines has increased as well, according to Crain's New York Business.

“It was a complete surprise this quarter,” MediaFinder president Trish Hagood said.

There were new publications like Dr. Oz The Good Life and Capital New York Magazine and the revivals of Sesame Street Magazine and Newsweek. The latter made its promised return to print in the beginning of March after transitioning to an all-digital format in 2012.

But it wasn't entirely good news. Eleven magazines ceased publication this quarter compared to only eight in the first quarter of 2013, Crain's New York Business said.

Still, the growth in magazine titles is the latest data to renew optimism in the media industry. Pew Research Center's State of the News Media 2014 report found growth in the digital media world as well, fueled by increased funding of U.S. digital startups.