News Corp. to release new national paper for tablets and smartphones
Fri, 08/20/2010 - 12:56
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has recently announced it will launch a new national digital newspaper for distribution on smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple’s iPad. With the intent to target a more general readership, and in particular those who increasingly consume their news on the go, News Corp. will distribute the digital paper exclusively as paid content for those devices.
Other national publications in the U.S. have already created tablet-based editions for distribution on Apple’s iPad with success including Wired, Popular Science and the New York Times whose free app for the iPad has been downloaded more than 400,000 times since its release in April this year.
“We’ll have young people reading newspapers,” Murdoch said of the initiative during the company’s August 4 earnings call. “It’s a real game changer in the presentation of news.”
Media and technology consultant Alan D. Mutter however is skeptical, noting that it remains to be seen whether devices such as the iPad will allow print publications to reach new, younger readers.
“Newspaper content tends to attract — whether on print or on an iPad or however — mostly the same kind of readers," Mutter said. "Not necessarily younger readers.”
While News Corp. has yet to set a launch date for the initiative, insiders have hinted the company would like it to debut by the end of the year. The new digital publication will be overseen by the current Managing Editor of the New York Post, Jesse Angelo.
For more, visit: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-newscorp-20100813,0,3467576.story
Other national publications in the U.S. have already created tablet-based editions for distribution on Apple’s iPad with success including Wired, Popular Science and the New York Times whose free app for the iPad has been downloaded more than 400,000 times since its release in April this year.
“We’ll have young people reading newspapers,” Murdoch said of the initiative during the company’s August 4 earnings call. “It’s a real game changer in the presentation of news.”
Media and technology consultant Alan D. Mutter however is skeptical, noting that it remains to be seen whether devices such as the iPad will allow print publications to reach new, younger readers.
“Newspaper content tends to attract — whether on print or on an iPad or however — mostly the same kind of readers," Mutter said. "Not necessarily younger readers.”
While News Corp. has yet to set a launch date for the initiative, insiders have hinted the company would like it to debut by the end of the year. The new digital publication will be overseen by the current Managing Editor of the New York Post, Jesse Angelo.
For more, visit: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-newscorp-20100813,0,3467576.story
