New Media Age is reporting today that the Financial Times newspaper plans to offer its iPad app for free for the first two months, with the intention of attracting younger readers, having signed a two-month sponsorship contract with Swiss watch-maker Hublot. The FT’s app will be launched to tie in with the iPad’s launch in the UK, later this month.
According to New Media Age, Steve Pinches, lead product manager at FT.com, said that many of the younger readers the paper wants to attract access content via mobile devices, and the FT’s comprehensive registration service means that it can sell its mobile inventory for a big profit.
“Ad revenues [on iPhone and iPad] will be critical to our mobile strategy. Our readers are very hard to reach and can be considered a niche audience,” Pinches told New Media Age. The article goes on to note that other experts have urged clients to be cautious when considering whether or not to sponsor iPad apps.
“There’s uncertainty as to the role the device plays,” said Mark Creighton, MD of digital media agency i-level. “It’s difficult to know how people will take to it. Right now, I’d say let’s wait and see.”
By Maura Sutton, iPadForums.net
Source: FT woos younger readers with free access to iPad app | News | New Media Age
