The advertising giant will launch the service in partnership with Yappa Corporation, a leading digital content distribution technology firm in Japan. The two will work together to offer subscribers magazine content via mobile phones, personal computers and video game consoles.
According to a statement from Dentsu, the service will initially be available on Apple’s iPhone, and will be gradually introduced to other carriers.
The statement noted that while the Japanese electronic distribution market for books and comics was sizable at around US$800 million, a workable delivery service for magazines had yet to be established.
The Magastore scheme currently has 30 magazines on board from a total of 20 participating publishers, including Asahi Shimbun Publications, Condé Nast Japan and Gentosha. Dentsu has said that it is aiming to offer subscription to 50 magazines from 30 publishers by the end of the year.
While downloaded content will not contain advertising in the initial stages of the project, it is likely to include commercial messaging in future, Dentsu said.
Application to Magastore will cost US$1.20, while the cost of magazine content will range from US$1.20 to US$6.40 depending on the magazine. The service will be unveiled this summer.
