The digital magazine The Daily may not be performing up to expectations, but that hasn't soured media magnate Barry Diller on the future of digital: Newsweek may be on the table for the digital-only treatment as well. According to Reuters, the CEO said yesterday that one of the biggest problems with the 79-year-old magazine — which is currently available in both print and digital formats — was its manufacturing costs, and inferred that moving to a digital-only format could be a possible solution. "I'm not saying it will happen totally, but the transition to online from hard print will take place," he told investors on a conference call. "We're examining all of our options."

Reports of the comments prompted a push back from Newsweek itself. The publication's blog posted portions of an internal email from editor Tina Brown, in which Brown framed Diller's comments as industry-wide generalizations that were obvious given the recent trends in print publication. Brown also echoed Diller's statement that the magazine wouldn't have a game plan in place for 2013 until September or October of this year, but that there were "many options to choose from." While it seems clear that a move to a digital-only Newsweek is by no means a certainty, the fact that such a move may be among the options being discussed is yet another reminder of the ground digital consumption continues to gain over traditional media — with little relief in sight.