The Digital Revolution: Transforming the Publishing Industry | Page 3

Introduction

Innovate or die. It’s the harsh reality of many industries, but rings especially true in the publishing sphere.

The digital revolution, elicited in part by the Information Age, was a godsend for traditional publishers backed into a corner. It marked the industry’s gradual transition to an online format, allowing print publishers to keep up with the demands of a rapidly digitizing world. And with a world seemingly hell-bent on online content consumption, the possibilities were endless. Content could be distributed on a massive scale, attract readers from every corner of the world, and boost sales.

But what do the stats say today? Nearly a quarter of media across the world will be consumed on mobile devices in 2018. Zenith Media -- a leading ROI agency -- expects that number to rise to 28% by 2020. Zenith also estimates that people will spend 479 minutes everyday consuming media this year. That’s 12% more than what the numbers showed back in 2011.

Web-based content is replacing every traditional media format, including newspapers. The Newspaper Association of America, for example, cited data from Nielsen Online that showed an 837.5% increase in average monthly unique audiences for online content in a single year. Digital technology has pushed the boundaries of publishing like never before.