The Atlantic Tops 1 Million Subscriptions and Reaches Profitability

The Atlantic now has more than 1 million subscriptions and is profitable, surpassing two goals that the company set several years ago. In an email to The Atlantic’s staff, quoted in part below, Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg and CEO Nicholas Thompson announce this news.

Overall revenue is up more than 10 percent year over year; advertising booked year-to-date is also up 33 percent year over year. Subscriptions to The Atlantic have increased by double-digit percentages in each of the past four years––and surged 14 percent in the past year. The Atlantic has more than doubled the total number of paid subscriptions since it launched digital and a digital + print bundle four years ago.

The magazine has earned Pulitzer Prizes in each of the past three years for stories that exemplify depth and range––an exhaustive investigation into immigration and family separation; a moving portrait of one family’s heartbreaking loss in the 9/11 attacks and their struggle to move on; and defining coverage of the pandemic and how America failed in its response to the virus. The Atlantic is currently nominated for the fourth consecutive year for the top honor of General Excellence in the National Magazine Awards, which it won in both 2022 and 2023. Five of the magazine’s features and issues are also nominated for reporting awards.

Below is Goldberg and Thompson’s email to staff:

Dear All,

Thanks to the hard work, creativity, and relentless focus of you, our colleagues, The Atlantic has achieved both profitability and crossed the million-subscription mark. A few short years ago, when we first outlined these goals, we were nowhere near achieving them. So today is a noteworthy day in the history of our magazine.

Of course, the key to continued success is to be constructively dissatisfied with the present, and so both of us believe very strongly that our 1 million subscriptions represent merely the foundation of future excellence and growth. Profitability is also perilous in the media industry, and we are going to continue to be highly disciplined in how we run our operations.

2024 will be one of the most consequential years in the history of our magazine. The journalistic excellence and urgency we bring to our coverage will set a standard for the industry and help guide our readers through dangerous times. All of us have the same goal: to support and advance our historic mission; to constantly innovate; and to reach new readers across the globe every day. Thank you all for your excellent work, and congratulations.

With appreciation.
Jeff and Nick