SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zinio, the world’s largest digital newsstand and leading magazine app for iOS, Android and web, announced today that it has acquired Audience Media, the leading developer of mobile app solutions, to translate print publications into mobile apps optimized for the smartphone and tablet reading experiences.
This acquisition will make Zinio the dominant player in magazine content for mobile devices, as well as expanding their footprint into the digital publishing services space by creating a mobile first experience for consumers that prefer a dedicated magazine app. Zinio will be the industry’s first magazine content aggregator to make white label branded apps for consumers.
“Mobile is the future of digital publishing, and this acquisition reinforces our ability to work with more magazine publishers to deliver premium content to an expanded audience of users,” said Joan Solà, EVP, Chief Global Markets at Zinio. “Bringing the unique capabilities of Audience Media into our organization gives Zinio the opportunity to deliver the best mobile experiences for consumers seeking individual branded apps or Zinio’s aggregated ‘all in one place’ experience. We are increasing our footprint to become the leading mobile first player for digital magazines. There is a growing consumer appetite for high quality magazine content, and this acquisition will make it possible to develop apps for long tail content in specific niches. We are eager to serve the needs of online magazine readers in creative new ways.”
Digital magazines are now an $11 billion dollar industry with overall growth of 34 percent in the last quarter of 2013. The digital magazine is anticipated to represent 25% of total circulation by 2016. Whether consumers choose to read magazines on the Zinio app or use individual branded newsstand apps from their favorite magazines, Zinio will be part of the digital magazine experience for both. The Zinio app enables readers to access more than 5,000 digital magazines from titles such as GQ, Wired, Fast Company, National Geographic and many more. Zinio’s top-rated free apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows and web.
The acquisition of Audience Media will also enable Zinio to expand its publisher service offerings. With the cross-platform editorial content management system (CMS) capabilities enabled by Audience Media, publishers who have struggled to address the software challenges and cost implications of the move from print to digital will now have a seamless way to manage their content and publishing experience across multiple platforms, countries and languages.
“We are excited to be part of Zinio and introduce our technology to new audiences,” said Andrew Duck, CTO, Audience Media. “By joining forces with a category leader like Zinio, we are giving millions access to digital magazines across devices and helping publishers make a seamless transition from print to digital with the best tools in the industry.”
About Zinio
The world’s first and largest digital newsstand, Zinio has been downloaded by over 24 million readers and provides access to more than 5,000 magazines on 33 local newsstands via smartphones, tablets and PCs. Rated “Top 20 Best iOS and Android App of 2012” by Tech Crunch and “Best App Ever” for iOS by 5 million fans, Zinio strives to deliver the best magazine reading experience at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Zinio is headquartered in downtown San Francisco with offices in New York, London and Barcelona.
Zinio’s free magazine app is available for iOS, Android, Windows 8 devices and on the web at www.Zinio.com.
About Audience Media
Audience Media S.L. are the developers of a revolutionary multi-channel publishing system for the communications, marketing and media industries. The company was first established in Barcelona, Spain and has grown to include development and sales offices based in New Zealand, South Africa, UK & Vietnam.
Audience Media has clients in 14 countries, including brands such as Cosmopolitan, CIO, Good Housekeeping, Grazia, Hello!, and Marie Claire. The Audience Media CMS helps clients deliver content and engage readers across multiple channels for corporate communications, niche print publications, consumer magazines and national newspapers, with engaging user interfaces, responsive design and intuitive tablet and mobile applications.
