It seems a change of ownership has helped Business Week to survive and blossom in a changing media landscape. On the print side, subscription remains stable and ad pages are up. The magazine reads better and provides a rich variety of content. And recognizing the power of the tablet, Business Week is launching it's iPad App as a free added value for print subscribers, "while non-subs will be charged $2.99 a month for access—a pretty good deal, considering a single newsstand issue goes for $4.99." Notice that the app is purchased by the month, 4 issues, as opposed to singular issues or even an annual subscription.
"Bloomberg’s two main goals are to preserve and expand the print readership, but also appeal to newer, younger readers who prefer to do their reading digitally." As a transition is occurring with consumers from wholly print to wholly digital consumption, this strategy of packaging both plans together builds value, comfort with both platforms, credibility in the digital space, and hopefully increased subscriber loyalty. That the application doesn't simply regurgitate the magazine but utilizes additional content to make it a complementary experience, should surely work to build a larger fan base. That Business Week is embracing the tablet app space shows they are positioning for the future and no longer stuck in the past.
