Mobile (yawn) magazines? Maybe later

Media Industry Newsletter (MIN), a small but mighty publication, well respected for its intelligence gathering abilities, asked U.S. magazine publishers about their plans for mobile versions of their titles. Their attitude? Lukewarm at best.

Despite the hype, says MIN, publishers' expectations and plans to go mobile remain modest. The few magazine brands that already see demand for mobile extensions of their content are very enthusiastic about the platform and claim early success. "But for the most part, print executives complain that unclear revenue models, complex uncommunicative relationships with carriers, and a dearth of audience demand leave them in wait-and-see mode."

There were 43 respondents to the survey, among them major consumer and B2B publishers. According to their responses only a quarter now have some kind of mobile application. Many said they see little demand from their readers.