A new report indicates that Condé Nast has led the pack so far this year in terms of percentage growth in digital readership. Vanity Fair's Caitlyn Jenner cover is one of the reasons cited for the growth of Condé Nast, as rumors swirl that the company may be moving one or more print titles to all-digital.
The MPA, the Association of Magazine Media, released the latest numbers for the first half of 2015, and things are looking good for Condé Nast, which saw significant growth in readership. The numbers include print and digital readership, including mobile, Web and digital traffic measured from a variety of sources.
Condé Nast registered growth of 20 percent over the previous period, topping the industry, which, overall, posted a healthy 9.8 percent growth rate. Company President Bob Sauerberg boasted: "Condé Nast had a stellar first half of audience growth on every platform, reinforcing our position as the largest premium network in the market. Powered by the stronger-than-ever demand for our must-have content including the Met Gala, Vanity Fair's Caitlyn Jenner exclusive and Wired's massively popular take on 'the dress' " (Sauerberg is referring to the recent popular debate over a dress, which appears white and gold to some viewers and black and blue to others).
The results come as recent rumors continue to swirl that several of the company's publications are set to become digital only and will no longer be published in print. As many as three titles are apparently on the hot seat, with one expected to close shop for good.
Although Condé Nast had a stellar quarter, the results could be skewed due to the huge reaction to the June Caitlyn Jenner cover and accompanying interview that registered a larger than 100 percent increase in readership for the magazine over the previous month. According to comScore, Vanity Fair attracted 15.4 million unique visitors in June as opposed to 7.3 million in May. Other titles, such as GQ, Details and Vogue, which lost almost half their unique digital viewers from May to June, aren't faring as well, however, so it appears as if the one-off Caitlyn Jenner exclusive had a large effect on the overall growth numbers reported.
