Two business information publishers are reporting improving fortunes after pushing their print media portfolio toward digital subscription operation.
- New Media Age and The Lawyer publisher Centaur says digital revenue rose 10 percent in the second half of last year to make up 32 percent of company revenue (£8.5 million). (Release).
- Meanwhile, Lloyd’s List and Datamonitor operator Informa says 2011 digital revenue rose to be 74 percent of its total. (Release).
Centaur’s online odyssey is fresher than Informa’s. It recently closed several printed titles, including that of New Media Age, to try tipping its business balance toward online and events. Part of that journey involves online acquisitions, the most recent of which was Profile Group this week for £8 million.
Informa says it will this year begin delivering its book catalogue through Taylor & Francis Online. That was the online platform it introduced in 2011 to delivery its over 1,600 academic journals.
Informa’s e-book sales rose 11 percent last year to make up 12 percent of academic book sales Informa’s book portfolio also includes the Routledge publisher.
“E-book delivery, as well as the increasing use of print on demand services and online marketing of back catalogues, has been a significant driver in improving the quality of the books business,” the company says.
But digital isn’t yet improving the profits of either company. Informa’s annual profit crashed by a quarter to £74.3 million, while Centaur slimmed its half-year loss by £100,000 to £1.5 million.
Centaur revenue fell whilst Informa’s rose.