RIP TDP

Total Digital Photography magazine, launched by Archant Specialist media in August 2002 , has just printed its last edition (issue dated May 2005). TDP’s circulation had been dropping steadily and fell to below 10,000 copies per month – (photo-i has a readership of around 10,000 viewers per day and is continuing to grow). Archant took TDP in house last October and despite Will Cheung’s excellent efforts as editorial manager, he was unable to turn the magazine around. Subscribers to TDP will be offered a refund or an exchange for another Archant magazine.

A spokesperson from Archant believes the digital imaging magazine market is over saturated with magazines, “There is simply not enough readers to warrant the amount of titles on the bookshelves”. This news comes just a few weeks after Jessop’s announcement about its shares dropping in value.

Is the market over-saturated? For magazines, maybe, but I think digital camera users, by the very nature of the technology, are turning to the internet. Not only is information available immediately its announced (rather than four or even six weeks later with the magazines), reviews are often more in-depth and specialist. Our own reviews are not limited to the printed page allocation and there’s the facility to interact with other readers from all round the world, not to mention the opportunity to purchase on-line.

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