Maghound is an online subscription website developed by Time Inc. in the US for selling magazine subscriptions. They have close to 300 titles already. What is interesting is the ability to subscribe to multiple titles and have one charge.
Maghound subscribers will also be able to switch between titles mid subscription – that’s weird. I am surprised publishers accept it. I can’t see a subscriber switching from one title to another happily given that when they sign up they committing to a title long term. It has always been this way. I’ve not heard people talk about wanting to switch so why create the proposition. Okay, there is the point of difference but it’s not that good for a point of difference.
If you want a customer to subscribe to you indefinately rather than based on their interest in one particular title you would want to introduce a subscription method independant of title that grants access to your complete range. US online customers especially in movies and increasingly in computer games are paying subscriptions then getting a certain number of hire/downloads per month. More closely this makes the model they are using resemble the type of channel selections you get when choosing a subscription TV package. Rather than a traditional long term sub to one title, you have access to a changable print media stream. Next stage will be digital access to all (or categories again like pay TV) time inc magazines for a monthly subscription fee.
can’t see a subscriber switching from one title to another happily given that when they sign up they committing to a title long term.
That is their point, they want to attract people put off by the long term commitment to one title.