Biz magazine ad revenue in 2011 outpaces rest of industry

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The 13 business magazines reported ad revenue of $1.24 billion in 2011, up 6.2 percent from the previous year, far outpacing the slight increase for the entire magazine industry, according to data released by the Publishers Information Bureau and analyzed by Talking Biz News.

Ad pages also rose 1.4 percent to 11,413.30 for the business magazines, which also outperformed the 3.1 percent decline in ad pages for the entire industry.

It’s the second consecutive year that the business magazine world has outperformed the overall magazine industry.

The business magazine with the biggest increase in ad revenue — and in ad pages — was Bloomberg Businessweek, which reported a 29.4 percent rise in ad revenue to $223.4 million and a 19 percent increase in ad pages to 1,536.71.

The worst-performing business magazine in 2011 was Smart Money, a Dow Jones & Co. publication. It reported a 12.9 percent drop in ad revenue to $32.7 million and a 17.4 percent decline in ad pages to 338.18.

Forbes remained the No. 1 business magazine in terms of ad dollars and ad pages. Its ad revenue rose 0.9 percent to $255.1 million, and its ad pages fell 3.9 percent to 1,844.84.

Fortune, a Time Warner magazine, dropped behind Bloomberg Businessweek in both categories. Its ad revenue rose 4.5 percent to $204 million and its ad pages fell 0.9 percent to 1,525.68.

Harvard Business Review reported strong numbers in 2011, with a 21.4 percent rise in ad revenue to $18.9 million and a 16.5 percent rise in ad pages to 436.04. Wired magazine reported a 17.6 percent rise in ad revenue to $99.8 million and an 8.9 percent rise in ad pages to 938.04.

Among the three personal finance titles, Kiplinger’s performed the best in terms of ad revenue with a 1.3 percent jump to $22.41 million, and a 10.6 percent increase in ad pages to 338.41. Money still has more ad pages than Kiplinger’s.

See all of the magazine results here.