Star Touch follows a look & feel, navigation and storytelling strategy quite similar to that of La Presse+
While it is true that tablets, and the iPad particularly, have not made the spectacular progress that some, including yours truly, had hoped for, it seems that tablets have great appeal for Canadians, and for Canadian publishers.
To prove that, The Toronto Star last week launched Star Touch, a tablet edition that goes after those elusive younger readers. Although I’d dare say that this tablet edition will probably prove quite popular with those much older readers whom I see around the globe carrying an iPad under their arm. Maybe this will be a win win situation for The Star. Let’s hope so.
The tablet has proved to be a successful venture for La Presse, the Montreal-based French language daily that has staked its future on its own tablet-based paper, La Presse+, and which has announced its intentions to scrap its paper edition January 1, 2016 Some 60 per cent of La Presse’s revenue now comes from the tablet edition, and 24 per cent of tablet readers are 35 to 44 years old. By the way, La Presse will maintain its weekend print edition after January 1.
I have taken a look at Star Touch and it does follow a look & feel, navigation and storytelling strategy quite similar to that of La Presse+, which is easy to use and easy on the eyes. Star Touch includes rich visuals and interactivity, and the editors and designers make sure the user’s finger is kept happy.
It is also good to know that The Toronto Star introduces this new product with no plans to abandon its print, online or mobile offerings.
We will be watching Star Touch with interest in the future and wish it much success.
One interesting quote from John Cruickshank, the newspaper’s publisher, which leads us to think that perhaps in The Toronto Star’s newsroom, it is not digital first, but “tablet first”:
“The newsroom is producing for the tablet, and everything else will fall out of that. And that’s huge.”
Star Touch: by the numbers
Staffing needs:
To produce Star Touch, the Star hired about 100 people, 70 of them in the newsroom – reporters, videographers, designers, graphic artists and so on.
Additional Costs:
Its parent company, Torstar Corp., is pouring an estimated $13-million to $15-million in capital spending into the initiative in 2015, plus $8-million to $9-million in operating costs, some of which – such as salaries for new hires – are ongoing.
Publication time and frequency:
The new tablet edition will be published just once a day, before 6 a.m. ET, and is also free, relying solely on ads to make money.
In their own words
Star Touch is poised to take that experience to another level.
“We seek to really dramatically change storytelling. The stories are going to be showcased in a more interactive way than ever before and provide a deep level of engagement and immersion,” said David Holland, president and chief executive of Torstar Corp., publisher of The Star.
Star Touch stories will be fully interactive, allowing readers to explore fact boxes, photo galleries, maps, videos, audio clips and other surprise elements with just a tap, swipe – or touch – of a finger.“What we need to do now is get to the next generation in a different way.”
Watch demo here
Our previous blog posts about La Presse+
https://garciamedia.com/blog/pla_presses_new_tablet_app_too_lean_back_p
https://garciamedia.com/blog/la_presse_and_new_tablet_feature_all_devoted_to_films
https://garciamedia.com/blog/paperless_la_presse_in_the_horizon