Guardian And Observer Launch Digital Editions
The Guardian and the Observer have become the latest national newspapers to cash in on the increasing popularity of the internet with the launch of digital editions for online readers.
Both titles will next week follow in the footsteps of the Times and the Telegraph with the launch of e-papers that replicate the layout of their print editions in terms of copy, advertising and images.
The company claims that both products have proved successful with more than 4,000 tests users and will now be made available to consumers in the UK and across the globe. Subscription rates will be £9.99 a month for the Guardian and £4.99 a month for the Observer. Both titles will be available for a price of £11.99 a month, which has been reduced to £10.78 as a special offer.
Commenting on the initiative, Guardian Unlimited editor-in-chief, Emily Bell, said: “Our digital editions are a brilliant innovation developed by our own in-house team. It gives readers an option to view all the content in the Guardian and Observer as though they were reading the paper.”
Simon Waldman, director of digital publishing at Guardian Newspapers, added: “Our paid-for strategy is designed to allow us to introduce a healthy strand of subscription income to Guardian Unlimited, while continuing to grow our core advertising revenues and extend the reach of our global brands.”
Last June the Daily and Sunday Telegraph launched digital editions in an attempt to increase their presence in the lucrative overseas market. The digital screenprint editions are charged at a significant premium to print editions, but costs vary depending on whether users opt for one-off access or a subscription (see Telegraph Launches E-Papers For Overseas Market).
The move came just a month after the Times launched an electronic version of its daily newspaper. The title is currently offered to Times Online subscribers for £49.99 a year, but the cost is set to rise to £75 per annum (see Times Launches Daily E-Paper For Online Subscribers).
Digital screenprint editions have been at the centre of controversy following the recent decision by the Audit Bureau of Circulations not to publish data for e-papers in the headline figures of their corresponding publications (see Association Of Online Publishers Attacks ABC Digital Decision).
The decision was condemned by the UK Association Of Online Publishers, which claims it does not provide publishers a good enough incentive to have digital circulation figures audited by ABC. The AOP also argues that e-publications should be included in the print headline figures in the same way that regional and tabloid editions are (see Association Of Online Publishers Attacks ABC Digital Decision).
Guardian Media Group: 020 7278 2332 www.gmgplc.co.uk
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