the new timesofmalta.com (part 2)

A new service on the new timesofmalta.com, currently being discussed by many during coffee breaks, is the new ePaper. In appearance, the ePaper looks like a PDF version of the print issue, but technically, the ePaper offers much more than that.


The highlight of the ePaper is its ability to translate news articles to audio allowing busy readers to listen to a news broadcast whilst posting a blab such as this one! The ePaper is being provided by NewspaperDirect, 'the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine content distribution and monetization. The company has agreements with over 500 newspaper and magazine publishers from 73 countries around the globe to market, sell and/or print their publications worldwide.'

I am no expert but I believe Allied Newspapers’ approach of making news content available as much as possible enables it to fully monetize the content proposition.
On the other hand, I am not sure the ePaper will catch up. I believe additional functionality provided by the ePaper could have been included in the website directly.

The website contains most of the printed content (and more), it’s easier to handle, bookmark, link to blogs and simply browse through. The ePaper is slower, less interactive and priced in a complex manner. If Allied Newspapers want to offer additional functionality at a price, may i suggest a more sophisticated version of the website, offered to users who sign up against a monthly subscription.

It would be interesting to test the ePaper against the normal website on devices other than the normal computer screen, PDAs, for example. Would the above arguments still hold?

Finally, the new Times’ website includes audio visual ads. whilst the ePaper fails to translate the Vodafone advert to normal audio.

go back: the new timesofmalta.com (part1)