Rupert Murdoch launches The Daily for iPad

By STEPHANIE NIKITA
Staff Writer

The Daily has launched, and once again Rupert Murdoch is carving a new path for news production and consumption.

The Daily is an all-online weekly magazine/app that, for now, is exclusive to iPad users and iTunes subscribers, and debuted Feb. 2.

The magazine, while it is advertised as a weekly paper, does have breaking news segments and live video function, so the reader can check the app several times a day and still expect to see something different, or be updated on important news stories.

The application is designed with touch-screen technology in mind.

It has swipe-sensitive 360-degree pictures, interactive games and activities, that link directly to Apple's App store, and interactive charts, graphs and info-graphics.

It also is designed for travellers and people who may not necessarily have time to sit down and read articles and explore interactive graphics.

It has a selection of articles that have been recorded being read aloud and has posted video of news broadcasters.

The reader can also save or record articles or videos to the app to come back to later if they get to their destination before they get to the end of a broadcast.

The main topics covered in The Daily are original/exclusive news, lifestyle, entertainment, opinion and sports.

The first issue of the magazine featured the former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and covers the political protest that took place in Tahrir Square.

The price for a subscription for The Daily is a fraction of what most newspapers charge for monthly delivery services.

Subtracting the cost of buying an iPad, the subscription price is quite low.

At 99 cents a week, or about $40 every year, The Daily offers quite a bit for any news junkie on a budget.

It also has a two-week free trial period.

The cost, according to Murdoch, is so low because The Daily does not need to pay for expensive time at a printing press or glossy paper and colour photos.

Its only cost is really in the start up and maintenance of online content.

Ken Doctor, a media analyst and writer of the book, Newsonomics remains skeptical as to whether the application will really generate enough capital to take off in the public domain.

He says in a CBC article that he believes "less than one per cent of iPad owners are likely to subscribe to The Daily."

So the remainder of the profits will have to come from advertising, much like any media organization, newspaper or magazine.

In his book, however, Doctor does mention that Murdoch's News Corp. is a large-scale and "diversified" corporation, and "in fact, the News Corp. news division is responsible for just 20 per cent of News Corp revenues. The rest: diversified satellite, cable and film business, including 20th Century-Fox. So, in a given year, News Corp. can make up for subpar [newspaper or magazine] ad performance with a box-office busting Ben Stiller movie."

This means that as The Daily builds a name for itself, and companies continue to advertise through it, the prices should stay consistently low.

Murdoch has also said he hopes to extend the use of The Daily to all tablet devices, though "last year, this year and maybe next year belong to Apple."

So combining further diversity by embracing other companies and products, coupled with advertising, The Daily's subscription charges will likely always be lower than any future competitors.