Digital magazine retailer Zinio will soon be able to offer publishers their own dedicated apps after the firm acquired Audience Media, a leading mobile app developer.
Currently Zinio sells digital editions of popular titles, including GQ, Wired and National Geographic, through its webstore and via its store app.
The acquisition of Audience Media will let it offer publishers their own fully branded app and store, further enhancing their branding, marketing and customer relationship opportunities.
Zinio says the purchase makes it the “dominant player in magazine content for mobile devices.”
The company competes with Apple’s Newstsand, as well as magazine stores from Kobo and Amazon.
“Mobile is the future of digital publishing, and this acquisition reinforces our ability to work with more magazine publishers to deliver premium content to an expanded audience of users,” said Joan Solà, EVP, Chief Global Markets at Zinio.
“There is a growing consumer appetite for high quality magazine content, and this acquisition will make it possible to develop apps for long tail content in specific niches. We are eager to serve the needs of online magazine readers in creative new ways.”