MONTREAL, March 20, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - La Presse announces that a subscription to La Presse+, its brand-new edition for digital tablet, will be free of charge. With this new application, to be launched April 18, users will be able to read a daily digital edition that delivers the most comprehensive information experience ever from Québec's largest newsroom.
"Over the past three years, $40 million has been invested in the development of La Presse+ and more than 100 people have been working full-time on its design. The objective was clear from the start: to create a new medium by fully leveraging the potential of digital tablet computing, while at the same time improving upon the quality and depth that define La Presse," said Guy Crevier, President and Publisher of La Presse. "To achieve this, we have combined the best of print, the Web and video to offer our readers an intuitive, interactive, 'lean-back' experience that highlights and expands upon the news as never before."
Mr. Crevier continued: "Today, we are pleased to announce that a subscription to La Presse+ will be free of charge. Making the news available free is now a well-entrenched practice in the digital universe and indeed, we believe, an irreversible phenomenon. That is why we have chosen this model.
The use of the digital tablet has shown explosive growth worldwide. Its penetration rate among the public is almost three times faster(1) than that of smartphones. It is in fact the communications tool with the fastest rate of adoption in the history of new technologies. That's why offering free subscriptions on tablet will enable La Presse+ to quickly position itself as a new mass medium in Québec.
"La Presse+ will redefine the way you get your information. You will find all the familiar writing of our columnists and editorialists, as well as all of our customary sections, featuring even richer and deeper content, and all accessible via a user-friendly, non-intrusive browsing experience. Exclusive La Presse+ content will also be announced at launch time."
La Presse+ joins the other media platforms of the La Presse ecosystem, which are already deeply rooted in Quebecers' daily routines. The print version of La Presse has a readership of 800,000(2). The news site lapresse.ca attracts 2.7 million(3) unique visitors per month. The La Presse Mobile application has nearly 340,000(4) users. This success has also been duplicated on social networks: the La Presse Facebook page has more than 50,000 "likes," the Twitter account @LP_LaPresse has nearly 270,000 followers, and hundreds of thousands of readers follow the individual Twitter accounts our various reporters, columnists and editorialists.
About La Presse
La Presse, French-language news medium of record, is distributed on several platforms, including mobile applications, paper, and the Web. Its content features distinctive, rich and diversified coverage of news and current events. Recipient of numerous awards for the quality of its content and its design, La Presse is also known for its in-depth series and special reports, as well as for the large amount of space it devotes to discussion and debate.
Sources :
1) MIT Technology Review, U.S. Technology Adoption Rate, Mai 2012
2) NADbank 2011, Montréal RMR, 18+, 6-day cumulative readership
3) comScore Media Metrix, 12-month average, 2012, Canada total
4) Localytics, January 2013, mobile platforms
SOURCE: LA PRESSE
Anne-Marie Desautels
Senior Advisor, Communications
514 285-7000, ext. 7253
[email protected]
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