While scanning through a magazine's site at one's desk is not the same as curling up with a good glossy, in tough times publishers are grateful for the extra eyeballs.
It is a glimmer of hope for those worst affected by reader apathy. Publishers now hope that broadening their reach across platforms will convince advertisers to stick with the medium.
The men's magazine market took a hammering in the ABC magazine circulation figures for January to June this year, and with plenty of women's titles also falling in popularity, owners have turned their attention to digital offerings to boost their brands and generate much-needed revenue.
Dennis Publishing, which owns Maxim and The Week, expects 40% of this year's revenue to come from digital. Its portfolio of digital-only titles includes men's mag Monkey and gadget brand iGizmo.
Bruce Sandell, managing director and head of NPD at Dennis Lifestyle, says the growth of its sites proves there is no lack of interest in men's titles.
'If you combine magazine sales and website traffic, we are reaching more men than ever,' he says. 'They simply consume information in a different way, so we are adapting. We have proved with our digital-only titles that these ventures can succeed.'
The most recent ABCe results showed a 107% year-on-year increase in site visitors for IPC's NME. Publishing director Paul Cheal says web results should be included in total readership.
'ABC results in isolation are redundant,' he says. 'While some titles are dropping circulation, traffic to websites and other cross-platform homes is on the rise. NME reaches a younger audience, and they are very engaged.'
The men's sector is not alone in profiting from online exposure. Titles such as Conde Nast's Vogue are also focusing on digital expansion; the magazine is currently preparing for the launch of a fashion update podcast.
Publishers have realised they can make money from their websites, and the majority employ separate web editorial teams to ensure that there is something new to lure readers online.
Emanuela Pignataro, country manager for Conde Nast's digital division, CondeNet UK, says its websites are key brand extensions, and that the publisher offers sites on mobile, YouTube and Facebook. 'We have protected our brands while responding effectively to the digital trends of our consumers,' she says.
Pignataro adds that the group's digital division has posted significant growth in revenue over the past financial year, while VogueTV and GQTV have been instrumental in driving new users online.
There is money to be made online in the magazine world, but not necessarily enough to save those titles whose sales are nose-diving on the newsstand.