MediaBuyerPlanner: A war between traditional paid newspapers and free dailies is arriving soon in the U.S., writes Media Life.
In European cities such as Copenhagen, two to three new free dailies are launching in markets that already have one or two paid dailies. The situation hits the dailies hard, as they fight for readers and advertisers.
Soon Boston will get another free daily, called Boston Now, that will compete with the Boston Globe, freebie Metro Boston, and others. And Boston Now’s publisher, Icelandic Dagsbrun Media, plans to launch 8 to 10 more in the country.
Expect to see existing dailies launching their own free sheets to discourage entrance by the likes of the Examiner chain – which now has papers in Washington, San Francisco and Baltimore – and Dagsbrun.
The cities that already have free dailies will be looking to increase circulation. Boston Metro plans to increase distribution from 165,000 to 200,000 daily, while The Tampa Bay Times last week increased distribution above 356,000 copies a week.
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