Print media consumption increased in 2023 and will likely continue doing so in 2024, according to a study by Pew Media Research.
While MRI Simmons has reported that more than 80% of 100+ national magazines have a lower readership than a decade ago, in the past two years nearly 90% of those have maintained or increased readership, Media Post reports.
Home and food magazines are among those that benefitted from increased readership. Good Housekeeping was up 2% in 2023 to 12.1 million readers compared to two years ago, and Southern Living, with 11.7 million readers, increased readership by 5%.
Double-digit percentage increases in 2023 include HGTV Magazine (+14%, 8.1 million readers); Country Living (+18%, 7.6 million readers); Food & Wine (+23%, 6.7 million readers); and AllRecipes (+34%, 7.5 million readers).
High in-home readership magazines include AARP The Magazine 38.9M readers (89% in-home), +5% vs. two years ago; Costco Connection, 32.4M readers (90% in-home), +10%; AllRecipes (64% in-home), 7.5M readers, +34%; TV Guide (61% in-home), 6.7M readers, +20%; and Taste of Home (56% in-home), 8.6M readers, +7%.
Catalogs have also benefitted from increased readership.
"Amazon’s Holiday Dash catalog which tops 100 pages, has been described as a mashup of the iconic Sears catalog and Highlights magazine," Pew writes in the study. "And it’s been a huge hit with kids and parents alike. The Neiman Marcus holiday catalog turned 97 this year and shows no signs of slowing down — as its 2023 luxury travel section and 80-page fine jewelry insert clearly suggest. And L.L. Bean, which famously shifted its focus to TV and digital in 2017, is also leaning into print this year in a big way."