A DIGITAL edition of Australian broadsheet, the Sydney Morning Herald, has been launched for the iPad in the same week that the paper has taken a leadership position in educating readers about the industry’s green credentials.
“This is an exciting new era in publishing, and this app, with others that follow, will clearly demonstrate that Fairfax is at the forefront of innovation,” said Brian McCarthy, chief executive of Fairfax Media, publisher of the Herald.
The Sydney Morning Herald has also shown the way in selling the green message to its readers.
On the front page of the paper each day, it is now running one of two green messages. One reads: “No native trees are used in newspapers – only softwood plantation fibre is used to make newsprint”.
A second message says: “We use only recovered paper and forestry waste in our newspapers”.
The Herald – a PANPA 2009 Newspaper of the Year – is more excited about the iPad. Its launch comes more than two months after the national newspaper, The Australian, launched its application for the tablet computer.
Mr McCarthy continued: “Our great content is at the core of the applications we are developing. Whatever platform or delivery mechanism we utilise, Fairfax is about connecting audiences with our content.”
The pricing model is one of the most interesting aspects of the launch.
It goes like this:
Free access to 7-day-a-week subscribers (this includes the Sunday tabloid, Sun-Herald)
$A205 to weekend subscribers – for current customers, if they upgrade to the iPad they will receive an extra three days of the Herald as part of the deal
$A205 to new customers who purchase the weekend package
$18 for four weeks access, which renews automatically without a direct cancellation
$52 a year for readers outside Australia
Australia’s biggest telco, Telstra, has signed on as the exclusive sponsor for the next two months.
Mr McCarthy said Fairfax Media was developing more than 40 apps currently.
“Teams across our print and digital divisions are working together to develop a range of apps for news media, classifieds and our transaction businesses,” Mr McCarthy said.
“As penetration of the iPad and other tablets increases, Fairfax will be well positioned to leverage our great brands and content through this exciting, new technology platform.”
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Sydney Morning Herald