U.S. magazines move to "Netflix-style" setup

Globe and Mail columnist Simon Houpt describes how U.S. mags are dealing with the Net; Canadians not in sight.
He writes:
"Strange times make for strange bedfellows. Two years ago, as the U.S. magazine industry began to realize its golden years were probably gone for good, five of the country’s largest and most competitive publishers warily put down their weapons and agreed to work together. And last week, their adversity-born experiment produced a magazine lover’s dream.
"That’s when Next Issue Media, a Silicon Valley startup funded by Hearst Magazines, Condé Nast, Meredith Corporation, Time Inc., and News Corporation, rolled out an all-you-can-read digital buffet of some of the publishers’ biggest titles. For $9.99 (U.S.) a month, U.S. readers can purchase access to the full Android tablet versions of 27 monthlies, including Vanity Fair, Glamour, Real Simple, Elle, and Esquire. For another five bucks, they get five weeklies, too: People, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Time, and Entertainment Weekly.
"By the end of 2012, there will be about 100 titles on the list. An iPad app is expected in the next few months.
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