With the large number of e-readers and tablet products promised for the market in 2010, it seems clear next year will force print publishers to address their digital publishing strategy. If readers are investing $300-$400 in handheld devices that read magazines, newspapers and books, then they will want to maximise their value. Publishers whose titles can't work with these devices will lose out to competitors' titles that can.

Major publishers such as Time Inc are developing their own reader applications in collaboration with technology firms to ensure they stay ahead of the curve. News Corp has joined forces with Hearst, Conde Nast, Time and Meredith to try and control the e-Reader market by creating a common platform on which readers would pay for content from their publications. The business model is to create revenue from content and advertising sales, as well as from print subscriptions.

2010/11 will still be experimental as far as technology and business models are concerned, however, I believe during this period we will see consumption via mobile reading devices significantly pushing print sales in key demographic segments and industry sectors such as business and sport for magazines, and broadsheet / business newspapers. Womens' mass market magazines and books following over the next 2-3 years. Business books are already being heavily consumed on the kindle in the US. To see the rapid adoption rate of successful mobile products, think about the explosion of iPhone users over the past eighteen months, and now Android powered phones.

Although The Sun Newspaper UK viral I wrote about was amusing, it is a bit like the boy sticking his finger in the dike holding back the sea. Have a look below at the Time Inc video about their collaboration with The Wonderfactory. As the The Wonderfactory say, "it is an excellent example of how tablets will enable the creation of innovative, addictive experiences by publishers, media companies, and advertisers."

Posted via email from Beyond Digital Media