Local news in more than 100 Canadian communities is getting a mobile boost from Metroland and Polar Mobile.
The two Toronto-based companies have agreed that Polar will develop a series of smart phone and tablet applications for Metroland Media's 104 local community newspapers.
Local newspapers are the top source for community and neighbourhood news, local youth and high school sports, local business news, shopping and entertainment.
Polar will create more than 500 applications in total for Metroland, covering a range of portable media devices and digital platforms, including Apple's iPad and iPhone, Research In Motion's BlackBerrys and PlayBooks as well as devices running Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone 7 software.
While most major newspapers have created their own smart phone and tablet applications, many smaller newspapers have lacked the resources to create stand alone mobile apps.
Although many readers in small communities still get their national and international news from major media outlets, about 74% of Canadian adults still read their local newspaper, according to data from the Canadian Community Newspaper Database.
"The local newspaper space is an untapped opportunity in mobile, as the content is exclusive and the advertisers' needs are unique," Kunal Gupta, chief executive of Polar Mobile, said in a statement.
Gupta said he believes the new mobile applications will open fresh advertising opportunities for local newspapers and that the apps will likely evolve over time to include additional mobile-first content, especially for weekly publications.
The demographic is an appealing one for advertisers, and the companies cite recent results from a study released by the Suburban Newspaper Association (SNA) covering the US market (Polar Mobile is a member of the Suburban Newspaper Association):
*Median household income is $76,500 with 39% earning over $100,000; *63% are inclined to shop on a Friday or Saturday; *82% have attended college; and *92% interested in local and community news.
"We are truly excited to take our leading community brands into the mobile application space with this unique and comprehensive solution, giving our readers and customers new ways to interact with our award-winning local content," Ian Oliver, president of Metroland Media Group, said in a statement.
Polar Mobile's SMART Platform already drives more than 1,000 mobile apps for more than 300 publishers around the world, including Conde Nast, TVO, Rogers Media, Khaleej Times, Digital Journal, Pro Football Weekly and Transcontinental Media.
Polar Mobile has also recently signed a series of deals with the unions of professional sports leagues, including NFL Players Inc., the Major League Baseball Players Association and the National Hockey League Players Association.
For more Mediacaster Magazine coverage related to this topic, please see:
TVO Portable Media App Moving to Polar Mobile Platform
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/tvo-portable-media-app-moving-to-polar-mobile-platform/1000509740/