Rupert Murdoch has a new plan for print media – the iPad. Nothing revolutionary here: since the iPad launched over the summer, a handful of major print media publications have taken a liking to the tablet computer that promises to bridge the gap between web-reading and lagging delivery subscriptions. What is a big deal, however, is Murdoch’s somewhat surprising approach to the new iPad initiative, as he’s dedicating an entire team to a new iPad publication called The Daily.
The Daily’s small team is full of industry vets, hailing from The New Yorker amongst other established publications. The shift in strategy for News Corp. is an acknowledgment of current trends around digital delivery, with a penchant towards Steve Jobs’ device in particular. The iPad has yet to truly determine its place in the publishing industry’s revenue processes, but the device itself still stands alone.
While News Corp. has also played around with a few monetization structures, like paywalls, for web access, it’s clear that more changes need to be made, if Murdoch has any plans towards buying the future. A focused dedication to the iPad seems to be putting too many eggs in one basket, but I imagine the technological details surrounding syndication and cross-platform content distribution can be handled beyond The Daily’s new dream team.
The move is also a recognition of the changing industry, with Hearst Media being an avid adopter of the iPad and digital distribution of its broad publications. Hearst is an acting study in iPad distribution specifically, and has recently launched an iPad version of the popular Oprah Magazine, among other titles.
What we’re seeing is a mainstream adoption of a new device, as well as new monetization options around this growth. For Jobs, it means more programs to be developed around the iPad as a bellwether for coming trends in connected devices and the publishing industry as a whole. I’m not sure how long The Daily team will be dedicating its efforts specifically for the iPad, but the tablet and its #1 supporter are at the center of the real revolution taking place. This is something Jobs himself will really have to pay attention to moving forward in the market.
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