The three biggest magazine publishers in the US, Hearst, Time Inc and Conde Nast are said to be currently in talks to create a store similar to iTunes which would sell digital versions of their publications. With print circulation continuing to drop this could be the saviour of subscription publications, it should be remembered that iTunes revolutionised the way music is purchased and Hulu has changed the way TV is watched in the US.

This project would allow publishers to charge subscriptions to the online store and bundle several publications together. It will also open the door to developing different multimedia approaches to magazines and to provide multi-format versions for mobile phones and e-book readers. So it could be beneficial to both parties, with readers being more willing to pay for media rich, multi-format publications.