Zinio Creates New Distribution Channels for Publishers: Branded Apps and Print/Digital Bundling

SAN FRANCISCO, May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Zinio, the leader in digital-publishing technology and services, today announced two opportunities to increase distribution for publishers: branded applications and print/digital subscription bundling.  These services enable Zinio's offering of over 2,500 consumer magazine titles and thousands of books, including 829 new consumer titles that joined in the first quarter alone, to bring the world's largest newsstand directly to the fingertips of reading enthusiasts.  Following several earlier announcements surrounding the success of the ZINIO UNITY™ platform, including the top-10 ranked free Zinio for iPad/iPhone apps, these recent efforts explore new ways to introduce unique channels digitally for publishers, advertisers and their consumers.

"The potential growth for publishing has been catapulted to a new level," said Rich Maggiotto, President & CEO, Zinio.  "The response to the ZINIO UNITY™ platform has delivered a convenient and simple solution to consumers around the world.  Now, we are perfecting publisher-focused, branded entry points in a manner that will knock down device-specific barriers, and celebrate dynamically designed advertisements and editorial."

Branded Apps: Working with innovative publisher clients, Zinio will create dedicated, e-commerce-enabled, publisher-branded apps.  With early strong sales and readership results through ZINIO UNITY™ for the iPad, Zinio is extending its app, cloud-distribution system and commerce platform for participating client brands.  Zinio's publisher clients will be able to deploy a similar buy-once-read-anywhere strategy with their own publisher-branded apps as a new channel for distribution.

"Through our ever-expanding partnership with Zinio, we will bring video highlights, rich photo galleries and touch-screen scoreboards into the iPad experience -- as well as across every device where we deliver Sporting News Today," stated Jeff Price, President and Publisher of Sporting News.  "If you are a commuter, business traveler, college student or even just a displaced fan, we can create a multimedia sports experience on a device-agnostic platform.  You're no longer tethered to your TV set waiting for highlights, which is a huge point of difference in the sports category for digital magazines."

Print/Digital Bundling: Zinio's solution and services accommodate the convergence of all reading platforms, including print.  By simultaneously offering print with digital single issues or subscriptions, Zinio launches the ability for publishers to retain current subscribers, target potential digital subscribers and increase digital adoption.

"Zinio's earliest publisher adopters already have been testing print-with-digital bundling, and have produced great results," said Maggiotto.  "From national titles such as ELLE and Maxim to super-regional titles such as Southern Boating, initial experimentation with bundling strategies has proven to generate additional revenue streams by maximizing the readership audience.  This pairing offers reading fans the ultimate in convenience by linking their print issues to an on-the-go and enhanced digital experience."

On April 3rd, Zinio launched its free App for iPad domestically, and it has remained in the top-10 most popular in the news category. The app is available domestically from the App Store on iPad or at itunes.com/appstore -- and will be available internationally starting May 28th with Apple's rollout -- and extends the pay-once-read-anywhere ZINIO UNITY™ reading platform.  This approach offers the unique benefit of letting readers pay once for a magazine subscription or single issue, then enjoy that publication across platforms and devices like their iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Windows, Mac and Linux PC, with new mobile platforms coming soon.

About Zinio:

Zinio is the world's newsstand and bookstore.  With its many digital products and services, Zinio creates better ways for people to discover published content, get more of it and do more with it.  Now, readers can purchase content once to be read on any screen.  Zinio provides the ability to shop for, search inside, read, share and save digital content in 23 local newsstands in any country in the world. Through the ZINIO UNITY™ reading platform, readers can move seamlessly within each publication page between text, interactive graphics, animated illustrations, videos and much more.  Offering hundreds of thousands of the best digital titles, Zinio's e-stores and applications are revolutionizing reading.  Founded in 2001 and privately held, Zinio is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York, London, Paris, Barcelona and Taipei.

SOURCE Zinio