What is happening at EVO magazine?
Discussion
p1stonhead said:
So presumably EVO isnt worth it these days?
Ive recently had a yearning to read some car magazines again having not bought them for ages (and having previously subscribed to EVO a few years back). I do sort of miss the whole magazine/cup of tea thing instead of watching things invariably on my phone!
£47 for a year doesnt sound too bad - I think thats cheaper than it was?
£100 a year gets you dozens of mags including EVO...Ive recently had a yearning to read some car magazines again having not bought them for ages (and having previously subscribed to EVO a few years back). I do sort of miss the whole magazine/cup of tea thing instead of watching things invariably on my phone!
£47 for a year doesnt sound too bad - I think thats cheaper than it was?
Evo, Octane, Enzo, Vantage and Land Rover Monthly now added to Readly
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
camshafted said:
Evo, Octane, Enzo, Vantage and Land Rover Monthly now added to Readly
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
Thank you for the link. It’s now all over the media news and good to finally see a press statement on the situation. Flicking around the web, a lot of sites are now carrying Readly advertising, so they’re obviously making a concerted 2018 push for high growth. Ties in with (I think I said it a few pages back) Readly securing some new series funding - the PE guys obviously believe in the model.http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
What’s interesting is that Dennis Pub. (as viewed from the sidelines) seemed to be holding out joining the Readly party through 2017, and now they’ve gone all chips in. My guess is that since Felix Dennis died, decision making as to what titles were doing strategically (web, print, digital etc) was then all over the place, lots of oars rowing in different directions, and fragmentation instead of a consolidated, clear plan for all the titles was lost. Take EVO and Octane. Sister titles but their online and digital offerings were wildly different - and IMHO - both poor.
So then you get loads of teams doing different things, multiple back office teams, costs go up and the whole thing becomes a mess. EVO obviously spent money on their app, but for me now that looks a bust. Good, if so. Focus on core capabilities is the deal; content is primary not a whizzy experience.
Further guessing on my part, but I’d think some stronger Dennis management has kicked in, told everyone to tighten their belts, throw their lot in with Readly, subscriptions may take a dive but that’s countered by that Readly dividend promise that will come with scale (and that the PE guys would have looked closely over the PowerPoint forecasts to see if it was worth their while
), and at some point dump the app, dump all that spend, probably lose some of the less talented writers and focus on content not buggering around with the journey people like Trott set them on. For the life of me I could never figure out why you can go to the Evo website and see a lot of content for free - you’re sort of decimating your opportunity to sell back catalogues. Weird.
Dennis as a group seems to be gaining good revenue from their Buyacar platform - ~$18m+ - so to complement their strategy it’s good to have strong car titles (EVO, Octane) but fairly sure, someone central would be saying, to the teams that if the content ain’t strong then they’re letting down the wider gang. And then it’s shape up or ship the f
k out.All IMHO of course,
lauda said:
Quick question on Readly. Are the versions of the magazines on there just scans of the print copies or are they optimised for tablet/phone like they are through the dedicated publisher apps?
Scan is the incorrect word, but things look identical to the print copy. They aren’t poor .pdfs.If I can explain it well enough, when you slide your thumb on the left or right to move page, it’s a graphical representation of a moving page and works very well indeed. Short answer is that it’s optimised, yes.
I use a 12.9” iPad Pro. If I put the iPad next to a copy of Octane, both open to the same page, the clarity from distance for my eyes is better on the Pro. And that’s 1:1 in size. I wouldn’t bother reading a magazine on anything less, but that’s me. The obvious pluses are that you can switch up the light on the device and that affords an even better reading experience depending on the wider environment.
Look, my view, on a 1:1 device I’m not going back to reading the print editions. Readly for me is excellent. Fast, slick, ultra clear and easy. It’s a very, very good application. But like anything the better the viewing device the better the experience.
If I can work out how I’ll take a picture of the device and magazine side by side. The disparity is stark.
Edited by tigerkoi on Wednesday 3rd January 22:02
tigerkoi said:
lauda said:
Quick question on Readly. Are the versions of the magazines on there just scans of the print copies or are they optimised for tablet/phone like they are through the dedicated publisher apps?
Scan is the incorrect word, but things look identical to the print copy. They aren’t poor .pdfs.If I can explain it well enough, when you slide your thumb on the left or right to move page, it’s a graphical representation of a moving page and works very well indeed.
I use a 12.9” iPad Pro. If I put the iPad next to a copy of Octane, both open to the same page, the clarity from distance for my eyes is better on the Pro. And that’s 1:1 in size. I wouldn’t bother reading a magazine on anything less, but that’s me. The obvious pluses are that you can switch up the light on the device and that affords an even better reading experience depending on the wider environment.
Look, my view, on a 1:1 device I’m not going back to reading the print editions. Readly for me is excellent. Fast, slick, ultra clear and easy. It’s a very, very good application. But like anything the better the viewing device the better the experience.
If I can work out how I’ll take a picture of the device and magazine side by side. The disparity is stark.
phil_cardiff said:
tigerkoi said:
lauda said:
Quick question on Readly. Are the versions of the magazines on there just scans of the print copies or are they optimised for tablet/phone like they are through the dedicated publisher apps?
Scan is the incorrect word, but things look identical to the print copy. They aren’t poor .pdfs.If I can explain it well enough, when you slide your thumb on the left or right to move page, it’s a graphical representation of a moving page and works very well indeed.
I use a 12.9” iPad Pro. If I put the iPad next to a copy of Octane, both open to the same page, the clarity from distance for my eyes is better on the Pro. And that’s 1:1 in size. I wouldn’t bother reading a magazine on anything less, but that’s me. The obvious pluses are that you can switch up the light on the device and that affords an even better reading experience depending on the wider environment.
Look, my view, on a 1:1 device I’m not going back to reading the print editions. Readly for me is excellent. Fast, slick, ultra clear and easy. It’s a very, very good application. But like anything the better the viewing device the better the experience.
If I can work out how I’ll take a picture of the device and magazine side by side. The disparity is stark.
Yes and no. On my Pro, I view in portrait like I imagine most people would. But if I’m on page 39, and that ugly McLaren Senna is spread onto page 40, I’ve got two options: flip to page 41 to save my eyes or turn the iPad to landscape. Like I say, I purchased a 12.9” simply to be able to read my magazines easily landscape or portrait. I want legibility. But on something smaller landscape will be a challenge for some. If I flip to landscape I’ll see both pages 39 and 40 together.
Think of using Readly as having a magazine bent over at the spine taking in one page at a time (if in portrait). That might not work for all, but for me if I really want to see a picture that straddles both pages in full, I just tilt the device and enjoy and then tilt back to carry on reading.
Hope that helps.
Edited by tigerkoi on Wednesday 3rd January 22:16
tigerkoi said:
phil_cardiff said:
tigerkoi said:
lauda said:
Quick question on Readly. Are the versions of the magazines on there just scans of the print copies or are they optimised for tablet/phone like they are through the dedicated publisher apps?
Scan is the incorrect word, but things look identical to the print copy. They aren’t poor .pdfs.If I can explain it well enough, when you slide your thumb on the left or right to move page, it’s a graphical representation of a moving page and works very well indeed.
I use a 12.9” iPad Pro. If I put the iPad next to a copy of Octane, both open to the same page, the clarity from distance for my eyes is better on the Pro. And that’s 1:1 in size. I wouldn’t bother reading a magazine on anything less, but that’s me. The obvious pluses are that you can switch up the light on the device and that affords an even better reading experience depending on the wider environment.
Look, my view, on a 1:1 device I’m not going back to reading the print editions. Readly for me is excellent. Fast, slick, ultra clear and easy. It’s a very, very good application. But like anything the better the viewing device the better the experience.
If I can work out how I’ll take a picture of the device and magazine side by side. The disparity is stark.
Yes and no. On my Pro, I view in portrait like I imagine most people would. But if I’m on page 39, and that ugly McLaren Senna is spread onto page 40, I’ve got two options: flip to page 41 to save my eyes or turn the iPad to landscape. Like I say, I purchased a 12.9” simply to be able to read my magazines easily landscape or portrait. I want legibility. But on something smaller landscape will be a challenge for some. If I flip to landscape I’ll see both pages 39 and 40 together.
Think of using Readly as having a magazine bent over at the spine taking in one page at a time (if in portrait). That might not work for all, but for me if I really want to see a picture that straddles both pages in full, I just tilt the device and enjoy and then tilt back to carry on reading.
Hope that helps.
Edited by tigerkoi on Wednesday 3rd January 22:16
The £7.99 a month does put me off though as I barely have time for one magazine, let alone more.
camshafted said:
Evo, Octane, Enzo, Vantage and Land Rover Monthly now added to Readly
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
Wasn't that interested but it includes Viz. That changes everything http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/19-dennis-titles-but...
phil_cardiff said:
Great, thanks. Been considering a tablet for a while and this might clinch it!
The £7.99 a month does put me off though as I barely have time for one magazine, let alone more.
I may have just accidentally bought a Lenovo YOGA 2 Pro 13.3 inch tablet on Amazon Warehouse for £244.29 (normal price £450) on the strength of this thread. The £7.99 a month does put me off though as I barely have time for one magazine, let alone more.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
phil_cardiff said:
Great, thanks. Been considering a tablet for a while and this might clinch it!
The £7.99 a month does put me off though as I barely have time for one magazine, let alone more.
I may have just accidentally bought a Lenovo YOGA 2 Pro 13.3 inch tablet on Amazon Warehouse for £244.29 (normal price £450) on the strength of this thread. The £7.99 a month does put me off though as I barely have time for one magazine, let alone more.
But life is short.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
I may have just accidentally bought a Lenovo YOGA 2 Pro 13.3 inch tablet on Amazon Warehouse for £244.29 (normal price £450) on the strength of this thread.
perfectly good choice.I went the other way and bought a Fire just for Readly. cheap and compact. I find the pinch/expand perfectly ok for reading articles. Also, I think you can have 5 devices anyway. I use the iPad for 'special' mags. Marvellous.
Gameface said:
I'll have one too. Have you got a link? Thanks.
Looks like I just got lucky - always the luck of the draw with Amazon Warehouse since they are usually returns and seconds. The next cheapest is £348 currently. Best to keep checking back and see what comes up. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00OHBE9...
ECOTY issue nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be - but I do much prefer the old format.
Agree that Evo is a bit "lightweight" at the moment in terms of content and pages. Octane is the same price and is considerably more bulky (although it probably carries more ads).
More proper road-trips please!
Agree that Evo is a bit "lightweight" at the moment in terms of content and pages. Octane is the same price and is considerably more bulky (although it probably carries more ads).
More proper road-trips please!
To quote from the ECOTY 2015 video;
Dario; 'the way that Evo car of the year is written you can put yourself in those cars, you can visualise what the drivers are going through, what they're feeling, what they're seeing'
Nick; 'this is it for us, of everything we've driven during that year which one is the best and which one represents the thrill of driving'
Dickie; ' if you were going to show one feature from the entire year this would be the one that best expresses what we're about'
Dan; 'there's a kind of celebratory atmosphere, we've got all the amazing cars there, we're hanging out together and having fun, for me that's what makes it special'
Many thanks to Ian for contributing to this thread, the internet being what it is it's a no win situation, so I do hope you'll take from the many on this thread who care deeply about Evo, and therefore ECOTY.
I've subscribed for 15 or so years, read it since almost the beginning and for me Evo has been a huge part of my motoring life, I genuinely look forward to seeing that grey wrapper on the door mat when I get home, and then sitting down of a weekend to some peace and quiet and indulging my biggest passion.
I deliberately avoided reading this thread prior to reading ECOTY so as to neither tarnish my thoughts nor find out the winner.
I liked the review of each car, and I agree with the abolition of cars such as the 911R because they're unobtainable, but to not directly compare them with one another is a huge loss in my eyes, that a hot hatch could beat a supercar was in many ways one of the greatest attributes.
When I turned over to see a quarter of a page at the end and a picture clearly showing the winner I was a bit astounded, I thought that would then be the comparison between one another.
The question is does ECOTY 2017 align with those initial quotes, in my opinion (& as we know opinions are like ar*seholes, we've all got one) it doesn't.
Can Evo sustain the loss of Jethro, Henry and even Dan, whose style I came to like, & I always enjoyed the hair dryer comments (!). It did when Harry sold and then moved on, even when it seemed to be somewhat Pagani obsessed, and I've enjoyed having some of the original contributors back, David, John etc. I really do hope so.
I won't be cancelling my subscription for now, I just really hope the feedback will help for the future.
Cheers
Dario; 'the way that Evo car of the year is written you can put yourself in those cars, you can visualise what the drivers are going through, what they're feeling, what they're seeing'
Nick; 'this is it for us, of everything we've driven during that year which one is the best and which one represents the thrill of driving'
Dickie; ' if you were going to show one feature from the entire year this would be the one that best expresses what we're about'
Dan; 'there's a kind of celebratory atmosphere, we've got all the amazing cars there, we're hanging out together and having fun, for me that's what makes it special'
Many thanks to Ian for contributing to this thread, the internet being what it is it's a no win situation, so I do hope you'll take from the many on this thread who care deeply about Evo, and therefore ECOTY.
I've subscribed for 15 or so years, read it since almost the beginning and for me Evo has been a huge part of my motoring life, I genuinely look forward to seeing that grey wrapper on the door mat when I get home, and then sitting down of a weekend to some peace and quiet and indulging my biggest passion.
I deliberately avoided reading this thread prior to reading ECOTY so as to neither tarnish my thoughts nor find out the winner.
I liked the review of each car, and I agree with the abolition of cars such as the 911R because they're unobtainable, but to not directly compare them with one another is a huge loss in my eyes, that a hot hatch could beat a supercar was in many ways one of the greatest attributes.
When I turned over to see a quarter of a page at the end and a picture clearly showing the winner I was a bit astounded, I thought that would then be the comparison between one another.
The question is does ECOTY 2017 align with those initial quotes, in my opinion (& as we know opinions are like ar*seholes, we've all got one) it doesn't.
Can Evo sustain the loss of Jethro, Henry and even Dan, whose style I came to like, & I always enjoyed the hair dryer comments (!). It did when Harry sold and then moved on, even when it seemed to be somewhat Pagani obsessed, and I've enjoyed having some of the original contributors back, David, John etc. I really do hope so.
I won't be cancelling my subscription for now, I just really hope the feedback will help for the future.
Cheers
Edited by acme on Thursday 4th January 17:31
tigerkoi said:
lauda said:
Quick question on Readly. Are the versions of the magazines on there just scans of the print copies or are they optimised for tablet/phone like they are through the dedicated publisher apps?
Lots of useful stuffI currently read evo, Cyclist and GQ on the dedicated publisher apps and the versions on there have the same content as the print copies, but with a completely different layout which is optimised for use on a mobile device. It makes reading them a lot easier IMO and I don’t really want to lose that.
Since I barely have time to read the publications I currently subscribe to, I’m not sure I’d really get my monies worth out of a Readly subscription for just those three magazines.
Have to admit I'm biased about the COTY article given that they chose my recently acquired Car as their winner in the Sports Saloon section and gave it a brilliant review..... then went on to give the QF the award in the next section, a double for Alfa can't have happened for a long time if ever!.
I agree it is just a series of reviews rather than a story though.
then went on to give the QF the award in the next section, a double for Alfa can't have happened for a long time if ever!. I agree it is just a series of reviews rather than a story though.
ECOTY should only include cars that went on sale that year (have last years winner for a head to head at the end if you want).
Whether they are sold out or unobtainable should not preclude them from inclusion in ECOTY.
Example - who wouldn't want to see Valkyrie vs Project One vs McLaren Senna vs 488 Speciale or whatever it's going to be called. ECOTY is supposed to the best of the best. I can't afford a McLaren 720S but I want to read how it stacks up against a GT2 RS which I also can't afford.
Whether they are sold out or unobtainable should not preclude them from inclusion in ECOTY.
Example - who wouldn't want to see Valkyrie vs Project One vs McLaren Senna vs 488 Speciale or whatever it's going to be called. ECOTY is supposed to the best of the best. I can't afford a McLaren 720S but I want to read how it stacks up against a GT2 RS which I also can't afford.
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