Research Study on the Impact of Digital Technology on the Magazine Industry

The Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Canada Periodical Fund, provides financial support to Canadian-owned magazines so they can continue to produce and distribute Canadian content in the face of systemic disadvantages in the marketplace arising largely from foreign competition. Canadian magazines face competition from large American magazine publishers for both advertising and for readership. Canadian magazine publishers are also at a competitive disadvantage from large American publishers who are able to reduce their per unit production costs through economies of scale.

While this has been the situation for the traditional print publishing business for many decades, with the growth of digital technology, magazine publishers are now operating in a new environment. The purpose of this research project is to study the impact of digital technology on the magazine industry and to assess the impact digital technology is having on the competitive disadvantages traditionally facing the Canadian magazine industry.

Areas to be studied will include, but are not limited to, finance, business models, production and distribution.