Research Task One : How has the UK consumer magazine industry evolved?

The magazine industry in the UK has been in decline over the years due to most consumers shifting to online platforms and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many magazines have had to compete with digital platforms, such as Instagram, where consumers can satisfy their interests for many subjects, like fashion or music, in one place, which can't be offered by most magazines. However, news and current affairs magazines haven't been as impacted by the shift to online sources as many consumers prefer to get their information from a trusted source, which might not be available online.

Additionally, the magazine industry has been affected by a fall in print advertising revenue, which has led to circulation rates falling. Audiences now mainly interact with magazines on social media or their websites rather than buying print copies. For example, in 2000, 1.6 billion magazines were in circulation, however in 2021, this fell to 565 million. This is because magazine companies are making less revenue from print sales so have to reduce production and distribution costs to make enough profit.

Overall, men's magazines and music magazines have been some of the most affected types with the Audit Bureau of Circulation finding that the circulation of men's magazines has fallen by 89% (32.3 million to 3.6 million) in four years, whilst, in contrast, news and current affairs magazines have actually risen in circulation as consumers prefer to read from trusted sources which might be hard to find on the internet due to the oversupply of information.