Ad space said to be limited, expensive

Publisher Hearst has brought Oprah Magazine to the iPad. Although no subscription options are available due to a lack of Apple support, each issue costs $4, slightly less than an equivalent print edition. Enhancements include videos, sharing features and a bookstore, the latter of which lets people read samples and buy e-books, which are read outside of the Oprah app.

The approach to marketing is said to represent the big change over the print edition. There are only two third-party ads in the current iPad issue, including one from Lexus, and another from Disney, representing the company's first in-app advertising. The ad spaces are described as "premium" in terms of cost. The magazine also allows entry into a sweepstakes, and includes an interactive holiday gift guide with options to buy mentioned products.

Hearst is presently said to be working on 22 different apps. All 14 of its magazines are on the iPad in one form or another, though some are not dedicated apps but rather replicas of their print copies, accessed through a third-party app, Zinio. Magazines which do have apps of their own include the likes of Esquire.

by MacNN Staff