Group announces tablet magazine guidelines

The MPA, a nonprofit for the magazine industry, has announced a new set of voluntary guidelines aimed at helping publishers leverage the soaring popularity of tablet computers and drive the device's advertising growth potential.

Tablet computers are considered by some to be a saving grace for the publishing market, but magazine publishers are struggling to get a firm grasp on the nuances of the technology and are therefore limiting their potential revenue gains.

Based on input from seven magazine media publishers, including representatives from Conde Nast, Hearst Magazines, Forbes and others, the MPA developed a set of guidelines to help steer publishers in the right direction. The guidelines address several areas and encourage publishers to report certain stats, such as the total number of consumer-paid digital issues, the number of tablet readers per issue and the total time spent reading each issue, among others.

The MPA hopes the guidelines will establish a level of transparency in the digital publishing industry.

Several publishers have noted the tablet's huge potential for the industry. Speaking at the American Magazine Conference in New York in October 2011, Conde Nast president Bob Sauerberg asserted that his company would generate $15 million tablet-related revenue by the end of 2011.