Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009    Text size: 

"They can gird their loins and stiffen their resolve all they like, but for porn publishers the pun stops here," Sally Jackson wrote in The Australian. "Because, despite what the billboards promise, it seems there isn't a potent enough nasal spray in the world to rouse the moribund adult magazine market."

The sentiment expresses one mainstream view of the current state of so-called "men's magazines" — a viewpoint which is fueled by continual drops in the number of magazines being published and the number and frequency of the issues being produced by the marketplace's holders-on.

The public woes of high-profile brands such as Playboy and Penthouse, along with scores of lesser-known and privately held publications, have not gone unnoticed by the media, who lay much of the blame for the downturn on the rise of the Internet and the glut of free porn currently available online.

While some adult operators see hope in evolving technology, such as a robust market for mobile adult content, it seems that no one is heralding the continued success of printed porn.

According to former Penthouse managing editor Brad Boxall, traditional "girlie mags" may soon disappear altogether.

"All the evidence would suggest it's dying (and) there's nothing you can see anywhere in the world that says some genius has come up with a way to save them," Boxall said. "If circulation keeps going down, you reach the point where it's no longer viable."

Australian newsagent Mark Fletcher agrees. His ongoing surveys of 135 newsstand outlets reportedly indicate that hardcore adult title sales have been declining by around 10 percent annually — a rate that if continued, will make it unprofitable for newsagents to stock them.

"While I am happy to carry a selection of ‘regular' adult product, I think the sunset is here for porn," Fletcher offered. "It's not paying its way in my newsagencies. It will be working for some but for most newsagents the space and cash saving can be put to better use."

"At the harder core end, adult is in serious decline," Fletcher added. "From a newsagents' perspective it can't survive because it doesn't pay its way in rent."

It isn't just the Internet that's to blame, however, as softer men's magazines, the so-called lad's magazines, such as Maxim, have proven popular with today's audience and gained market share from more explicit titles — but even these may have run their course. Indeed, the latest numbers indicate that among the most popular men's magazines are up-market titles such as GQ and Men's Fitness.

"There are already stores that are keen to get out of the category and use the shelf space elsewhere," Fletcher concluded.