Bloomberg Businessweek outperforms other biz glossies in third quarter

 TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Bloomberg Businessweek reported a 49.5 percent increase in advertising revenue and a 39 percent rise in ad pages during the third quarter, continuing its rebound after a lackluster performance in 2008 and 2009.

The magazine, acquired by Bloomberg in late 2009, reported ad revenue of $49.7 million and ad pages of 340.10 in the third quarter, according to data released Monday by the Publishers Information Bureau and analyzed by Talking Biz News.

In comparison, Fortune magazine reported a 10 percent increase in ad revenue to $56.4 million and a 4.5 percent increase in ad pages to 420.56 during the three months ended Sept. 30. Forbes magazine posted a 0.7 percent decline in ad revenue to $42.1 million and a 4.1 percent drop in ad pages to 293.30 during the same time period.

The gains by Bloomberg Businessweek continue its strong performance from the first six months of the year, when it had a 27.7 percent rise in ad revenue and a 15.8 percent increase in ad pages.

The only other business magazine with similar strong growth in the third quarter was the Harvard Business Review, which posted a 32.9 percent increase in ad revenue to $3.2 million and a 25.8 percent jump in ad pages to 72.13.

Fast Company also reported an 18.3 percent gain in ad revenue to $8.6 million and a 13.5 percent rise in ad pages to 99.65.

Two Dow Jones & Co. publications reported mixed results. Barron’s posted a 20.1 percent gain in ad revenue to $13 million and a 15.6 percent gain in ad pages to 265.05 during the quarter. However, personal finance magazine SmartMoney posted an 11.7 percent decline in ad revenue to $7.1 million and a 15.9 percent drop in ad pages to 73.05.

Other personal finance publications also struggled. Kiplinger’s posted a 4.5 percent decline in ad revenue to $4.8 million but a 12 percent rise in ad pages to 72.09, while Money magazine reported a 0.7 percent decline in ad revenue to $30.0 million and a 5.1 percent drop in ad pages to 138.33 during the quarter.

Growth at tech-oriented magazine Wired slowed in the third quarter. After posting a 37.7 percent gain in ad revenue and a 26.6 percent gain in ad pages during the first three months, Wired’s third-quarter ad revenue growth was 6.9 percent while its ad pages fell a half of a percent.

See all of the magazine data here.