Time to release digital magazines to iPad print subscribers

After months of trying to reach an agreement with Apple, it looks like Time Inc. won’t be selling digital versions of their magazines on Apple’s iTunes store anymore – The Wall Street Journal has reported that the company will be issuing digital copies of their magazines as free downloads to print subscribers.

Reportedly to start today, folks who are already subscribed to Sports Illustrated, Time and Fortune will be able to download digital versions of the magazine on their iPads. While no official announcements have been made as of now, we should probably find out later. Following in the footsteps of People magazine that started the practice last year, this move would greatly benefit folks who like accessing their content on the go instead of waiting at home for the magazine to reach their doorsteps.

Depending on how complex the digital copy of the magazine is (inclusion of bonus features etc) this method of distribution could be a great way for publishers to get more subscribers of their magazines. Sure it might seem redundant to recreate two versions of the same content, but it makes a lot more sense than charging consumers extra for a digital version if they already own the physical copy. Hopefully more publishers will start following this trend in the future.