• by Sara Guaglione , April 29, 2016

The magazine industry is thriving, according to the latest reports from MPA — The Association of Magazine Media, released yesterday.

The Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience Report for March revealed the average audience for magazine brands grew to almost 1.9 billion as of March 31, 2016, a 7.6% increase year-over-year.

In the first-quarter reports, ESPN The Magazine came out on top as the brand with the largest audience and Esquire experienced the most growth.

The association’s Social Media Report for the first quarter of 2016 was also released yesterday, and revealed that Likes and Followers total 900 million for the industry, up 4% over last quarter.

“Consumers of all ages have deep and passionate relationships with magazine media,” stated Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of MPA—The Association of Magazine Media. “As we continue to track and study readers’ behaviors across platforms and formats, we see the continued growth of consumer demand for—and engagement with—magazine media brands.”

Desktop/laptop Web results grew more than 6% over last year, according to the report.

The top 10 magazines reach nearly double the audience of the top 10 TV shows. According to data from Shareablee, magazines generate more social engagement than TV, radio, online media and newspapers.

“Magazine media produces more social actions than any other medium,” Thomas Brooks added. “That demonstrates just how engaged consumers are with these brands on platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”

The top five brands with the largest audiences for the first quarter were ESPN The Magazine, People, WebMD, Forbes and Allrecipes, respectively.

The top brands experiencing the most growth for the first quarter were Esquire, domino, NYLON, Town & Country and Fast Company.

The top brands with the largest social media presence are National Geographic, ESPN The Magazine, Vogue, National Geographic Magazine and Time.