Published in Mobiles

Newspaper finds use for a tablet

by on10 June 2016


Wins award

A Brazilian newspaper has found a way of making money using a tablet and won an award for its innovative thinking.

Newspapers are generally suffering because they are being eaten alive by the internet are losing advertising and still have huge operating costs.

Most newspaper associations are running around with court orders to project their advertising and content, completely unaware that they are losing the game.

Grupo RBS, one of Brazil's largest media groups, is convinced that adding technology to the daily ritual of reading a newspaper is the way forward in an industry that was hit hard by digital media.

The company distributed its Zero Hora ('Zero Hour') quality paper and one of the country's largest newspapers on a ZH Tablet. The device provides a subscription model that gives readers a customized tablet with two applications: an e-paper with two daily editions, and a real time news app.

This targets subscribers who prefer reading the newspaper in its printed form but encourages them to migrate to another platform.
The new approach, which has already been presented in international forums, was awarded in May by the International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA) the Best New Paid Content or Subscription Initiative. In June, it will be the object of a lecture at the World Congress of WAN-IFRA in Colombia.

Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, Grupo RBS´s Chairman said: "The way people consume information has evolved, and we need to anticipate these transformations to satisfy the public.”

Prior to its release in December, the initiative already had more than 5,000 people on the pre-sale list. The newspaper receives hundreds of requests for reservations each day.

Andiara Petterle, SVP for Newspapers and Digital Media said: "We believe that the future of a local newspaper is on paid digital content. That project provides sustainability for our business model and a new product that allows the continuity of our print reader's habits. We are very enthusiast about it."

Last modified on 10 June 2016
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