The future of media is digital. That’s a fact. The trick now is getting older generations to give up the convenience and relatively low cost of physical media. The Philadelphia Media Network are blazing their own path, though. Watch out, America. Here comes the Android tablet newspaper.
The media company owns Philly’s two largest newspapers: The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily. The plan, at least according to AdWeek, is to sell consumers ad-supported Android tablets at a discounted rate that includes access to the paper’s digital editions. Pricing wasn’t announced, but currently the paper’s digital editions cost $2.99 a week. This new model will allow the media company to earn revenue from ads placed on these tablet’s homescreens, but also gain valuable insight through the bundled media apps about how consumers digest digital content.
Osberg to AdWeek,
“No one in the U.S. has bundled the device with content. We want to gain significant market share in this area, and we want to learn about consumer behavior. Our goal is to be the most innovative media company in the United States.”
The program is said to kick off the second half of August with a trial run of 2,000 unnamed tablets with a larger launch coming later this year. Osberg indicated that the plan is to eventually offer several different tablets aimed at different markets and demographics.
As Brad Linder points out at Liliputing, it would make sense to offer a tablet such as Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color. The tablet is low cost, capable, and already a hit with the readering crowd. Potential consumers will be more likely to jump on board if a dual-purpose, name brand tablet is offered.
This pre-announcement sort of asks more questions than it answers, though. There’s no word on pricing, the sort of tablet involved, or if there’s any type of contract involved. But it does show that at least one media company isn’t waiting for its pink slip. Philadelphia Media Network is investing in the future.