A future for tablet publishing? La Presse case study

23 February 2016

Montreal’s La Presse follows a unique tablet-focussed, free access, fast track digital strategy. It said adieu to weekday print editions in December. An in-house developed app – La Presse+ – sets new benchmarks: advertising friendly, easy to navigate, and engaging

High ABC1 market share in French speaking Quebec helped build digital scale rapidly. La Presse+ has broken circulation records thanks to an influx of younger readers. Advertising is sold at a premium to print and the newsroom has expanded

In a tougher market The Toronto Star launched the app last September with positive initial results. The Star Touch approach is additive rather than substitutional to print and may be more relevant to newspapers elsewhere. Slower tablet penetration growth is no big worry as phone screen sizes increase and PCs converge towards tablets

Recent reports

Virgin Media O2: Tough start to a tough year

8 May 2024

VMO2 had a tough start to a tough year in Q1, with revenue growth dipping to -4% and EBITDA to -2%, and both fixed subscriber and contract mobile subscriber net adds negative.

Trends are unlikely to improve in the short term, with the fixed side suffering from full fibre overbuild and the mobile side struggling to replace its formerly unique Custom Plan offers.

There are however longer term upsides on fixed in particular, with network and service upgrades bringing sub-brand and wholesaling opportunities, and the company is striving to get the magic back on mobile.

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Disney Q2 2024: Streaming breaks even

8 May 2024

There were no flashy announcements this quarter as Disney highlighted its streaming business—the Entertainment component reaching profitability—with its turnaround offsetting the decline in the embattled Linear segment

In a reasonably stagnant UK SVOD market, Disney+ continues to grow household reach and engagement across almost all age demographics. One driver is its top content, which is more likely to be completed and rewatched than competitors'

Disney is searching for new technology leadership. Its current structure is segmented and depowered, requiring a single leader responsible for overarching technology direction to best combat streaming costs and reach platform scale efficiency

Access report

Telegraph & Spectator: Back on the block

3 May 2024

RedBird IMI will sell its claim to own the Telegraph Media Group (TMG) due to the public interest test it was set to fail, with the Spectator also back on the block

TMG surpassed a declared goal of 1 million subscribers by the end of 2023, motivating our forecast of 4% revenue growth for FY2023 to reach £265 million

The buyer of the Telegraph is likely to face an intervention on public interest grounds from the Secretary of State—a hurdle that could dissuade many bidders

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