E-publishing in the Newspaper Industry

visiolink.com
E-publishing in the
Newspaper Industry
Visiolink
Bjoernholms
Allé 20
8260
Viby J
Denmark
03
05
Intro
03
Ekstra Bladet
05
Visiolink plays a main role in the distribution strategy of Ekstra Bladet
07
Jydske Vestkysten
07
The combination of the visions of Jydske Vestkysten and the technology of Visiolink
can make the newspaper a leading pioneer on the Danish digital market
09
Lokal-Bladet Budstikken
09
The E-pages solution has both eased the workload for
Lokal-Bladet Budstikken and lifted the reading experience
11
Politikens Lokalaviser
11
Visiolink’s system makes it possible to control the publishing of 65
digital local newspapers from the main office
13
Adresseavisen
13
Visiolink’s system that consist in advanced technology does not
in any way stress the IT department of Adresseavisen
14
Device Independent Content Distribution
14
15
Visiolink in short
15
visiolink.com
Intro
Intro
Visiolink is a leading software provider when it comes
to develop and distribute E-publishing solutions. With
more than 5 years of experience and over 300 newspapers clients in 13 countries we create Device Independent Content Distribution that contributes Nontraditional Revenue Streams to the media companies.
We call it “Any Device – Any Time – Anywhere.
Read more about our clients’ success stories here!
newspapers
03
Visiolink ensures that we are where the readers are...
“
Ekstra Bladet
The strategy
Every week over one million people visit ekstrabladet.dk, Denmark’s largest news portal.
On this site the readers have the possibility to buy and read eBladet, the digital version of the newspaper Ekstra Bladet, which is a full version of the printed paper. Availability and simplicity are the keywords when it comes to a daily distributed product as
the newspaper Ekstra Bladet that has more than 400.000 daily readers. This is where
the E-pages technology comes in handy. Not only does it assure the availability of the
newspaper it also works as part of Ekstra Bladet’s considerations of expanding their
activities to mobile platforms.
“Visiolink’s technology plays a main role in our distribution strategy. This is accentuated
by the fact that our activities concerning E-pages organizationally speaking is placed
under the sales department and not the IT and digital media department as it might
usually be, explains Ole Sloth, Editorial chief of Ekstra Bladet. He points to the fact that
Ekstra Bladet as a single copy paper is dependent on a fine meshed web of outlets – in
other words the vending places where the people are. “E-pages helps us doing this by
working as a sort of newspaper stand that makes Ekstra Bladet available all over the
world. We are very happy to have eBladet,” he explains.
The solution
The E-pages solution of Ekstra Bladet automatically converts all the printed files, transmits the content to eBladet and makes sure that texts and images are placed correctly in
the layout. Ekstra Bladet also takes advantage of E-pages for their historical newspaper
archives that contains newspapers dating back to the first issue from 1904. Ole Sloth
describes E-pages as an easy, intuitive and secure solution that is easy to run and gives
an attractive reading experience. “E-pages brings eBladet very close to the printed edition, which is one of our goals. You can turn pages and seek for words – without having
to click, close and open constantly,” says Ole Sloth.
The Cooperation
In relations to the cooperation with Visiolink Ole Sloth points to the fact that it is of great
importance that Visiolink is a Danish company, given the good reputation of Danish technology companies. Geographic proximity and quick response is important to Ekstra Bladet.
Ole Sloth’s experience is that Visiolink reacts quickly and is very flexible in terms of meeting their demands. “I have the feeling that it is as important to Visiolink as it is to us that
eBladet runs perfectly. In other words they care about our product and our customers – the
readers. The employees at Visiolink deserve compliments for being very
attentive. Many of our demands has now become a part of the standard
solution offered by Visiolink. On these grounds we are looking forward to
the possibility of expanding the cooperation,” concludes Ole Sloth.
visiolink.com
Do you want to know more about Visiolink’s Archive solutions,
please contact Visiolink at +45 70233544 or visit www.visiolink.com
The Danish national newspaper Ekstra Bladet was
founded in 1904
381.000 (on weekdays)
431.000 (on Sundays)
Circulation:
83.899 (on weekdays)
113.203 (on Sundays)
With a simple calender function you can find the exact newspaper you
are looking for in the archive.
Source: www.jppol.dk
Number of readers:
fact box
“
Visiolink’s technology plays a main
role in our distribution strategy.
This is accentuated by the fact that
our activities concerning E-pages
organizationally speaking is placed
under the sales department and not
the IT and digital media department
as it might usually be.
Ole Sloth, Ekstra Bladet.
In the search function you can seek for specific words after which they will be
highlighted directly in the text.
newspapers
05
Jydske Vestkysten is on their way into the world with Visiolink
“
Jydske Vestkysten
The Assignment
How do we take the next step from internet publishing to mobile publishing using
eReaders and iPhones – in order to give the readers the possibility to bring our newspaper wherever they go independent of the PC? Which digital publishing technology can
bring us ahead of time now and in the future? These were the questions that were on
the top of the agenda at Jydske Vestkysten - a Danish newspaper.
Visiolink provided the answers. “Today Jydske Vestkysten and Visiolink are testing the
user-experience together with 50 people testing eReaders and 100 people testing iPhones”, says Peter Gram, who is a member of the Editorial Chief of Stab at Syddanske
Medier, the media of Southern Denmark and in charge of Electronic and Digital Media.
“The technological focal point for the activity is Visiolink E-publisher that automatically
convert the daily newspapers into files that can be downloaded on eReaders and iPhones. With regard to iPhone, Visiolink has developed a special iPhone App. E-publisher
automatically assures that it is the right test-persons who download the newspaper.
Regarding the payment systems Peter Gram points out the flexibility in the fact that
Jydske Vestkysten can choose between implementing Visiolink’s payment system or
integrate the Visiolink solution with other payment systems.
The Cooperation
Jydske Vestkysten already cooperate with Visiolink concerning E-pages. Therefore is
was only natural for Peter Gram to continue the cooperation developing publishing platforms for eReader and iPhones. Regarding the cooperation he says: “I see Visiolink as
a partner in the true sense of the word. They have a great understanding of both the
media and the technology and they know exactly how to create a excellent digital reading experience – without expecting the reader to be an engineer.”
“The thoroughly tested technology of Visiolink provides us with a publishing platform
that has an integrated security assurance that we are able to publish Jydske Vestkysten
in the way our clients need it, now and in the future – regardless of which technological
possibilities tomorrow will bring,” establish Peter Gram.
The Result
“Right now we are testing the possibilities. But there is no doubt that the combination
of our visions and the technology of Visiolink can makes us become pioneers in the
digital newspaper market. Nevertheless we don’t have any ambitions on moving further
into the market than our own geographic area where we are currently standing strong.
However we will have the opportunity of creating new possibilities for our core costumers and for new costumers.”
“The readers will have the chance to bring their newspaper on their travels all over the
planet. Although we don’t have deliverymen in Kuala Lumpur, Visiolink ensure that the
quality and the delivery there will be exactly the same as in Denmark,” says Peter Gram.
“The project concerning publishing on eReaders and
iPhones provided by Visiolink is ultimately preparing
our business for the future.” says Peter Gram.
visiolink.com
Do you want to know more about Device Independent Content Distribution,
please contact Visiolink at +45 70233544 or visit www.visiolink.com
The Danish newspaper Jydske
Vestkysten was founded
in 1991 after a merger between Jydske Tidende
Number of readers:
425.000 a week
Circulation:
365.000 a week
Source: www.jv.dk
and Vestkysten.
fact box
Visiolink provides
E-pages solutions
for both computers,
Smartphones,
Mobile Internet
Devices and
eReaders
“
Visiolink’s thoroughly tested technology provides
us with a publishing platform with an integrated
security assurance that we are able to publish
Jydske Vestkysten in the way our clients needs it,
now and in the future – regardless of which technological possibilities tomorrow will bring.
Peter Gram, Jydske Vestkysten.
newspapers
07
An impressive online presentation. Dynamic
and user-friendly
“
Lokal-Bladet Budstikken
The Requirement
Lokal-Bladet Budstikken is a Danish weekly newspaper group that publishes 12 local
newspapers with a total circulation of 365,000. The group decided to find an alternative to a pdf-based digital newspaper solution – and chose Visiolink E-pages. “We
wanted a solution that was more user-friendly and dynamic for our requirements and
which at the same time presented our digital newspapers in a much more exciting way,”
explains Executive Editor Jan Hjortlund Hansen, Lokal-Bladet Budstikken.
The Solution
The time-consuming and difficult pdf-procedures have now been replaced by Visiolink
E-pages’ automatic upload processes which save time for both employees and readers.
“Visiolink E-pages simply makes us look more elegant and exciting on the Internet. Previously, for example, you couldn’t turn over the pages in our digital newspapers. That’s
where Visiolink really comes into its own,” evaluates Jan Hjortlund Hansen.He points to
the fact that Visiolink was selected from among several players.
“Because Visiolink’s overall product suited Lokal-Bladet Budstikken’s requirements so
well,” emphasizes Jan Hjortlund Hansen. He highlights a number of features that in his
opinion differentiate Visiolink E-pages from other solutions on the market. “We are, for
example, very impressed with Visiolink’s zoom and viewer features. The solution has a
number of different and excellent zoom options and the viewer feature makes it quick
and easy to upload and replace our weekly front page teasers which is a real advantage
for us.”
Jan Hjortlund Hansen also believes that the quality and speed of Visiolink E-pages are
unsurpassed compared to similar products available on the market. “It is clear that Visiolink has both facilitated and lifted the reading experience. This is supported by what
we’ve heard from our readers,” he says.
The Cooperation
In Jan Hjortlund Hansen’s opinion, Lokal-Bladet Budstikken has received expert help and
support from the Visiolink team throughout the start-up phase. “This ensured that we
were ready to go live with the new system very quickly. Now we know that Visiolink Epages – as expected – is running steadily and reliably, and that the solution has worked
perfectly from day one.”
visiolink.com
The Danish weekly newspaper group LokalBladet Budstikken was founded in 1935.
Number of readers:
425.000 a week
Circulation:
365.000 a week
Source: www.budstikken.com
Do you want a user-friendly and dynamic E-pages solution,
please contact Visiolink at +45 70233544 or visit www.visiolink.com
fact box
The current e-paper front pages are shown as
teasers on budstikken.com
With Visiolink’s statistic tool
the publishers can follow the
behavior of the readers. In this
example the readers’ clicks are
marked by red dots.
“
The solution has a number of
different and excellent zoom
options and the viewer feature
makes it quick and easy to
upload and replace our weekly
front page teasers which is a
real advantage for us.
Jan Hjortlund Hansen,
Lokal-Bladet Budstikken
newspapers
09
Visiolink increases online traffic and advertising revenue potential
“
visiolink.com
Politikens Lokalaviser
The objective
The objective for the Danish newspaper group, Politikens Lokalaviser was to generate
increased online reader traffic. The means: Attractive, digital versions of the group’s
various local newspapers published with 65 Visiolink E-pages solutions. Status: The
objective has been achieved. Next objective: To convert the increased online traffic to
business through advertising sales on E-pages. Status: On track
The options
Politikens Lokalaviser wanted to create a digital window that could attract readers to
such an extent that it would become an appealing advertising medium for local businesses. “This has happened thanks to Visiolink E-pages – and the number of online readers is steadily growing,” states Digital Manager Thomas Hviid-Andersen with satisfaction. “Because,” as he says, “the number of visitors is our currency and the more readers
of the digital version we have, the greater our earning potential.”
“Visitor numbers show a clear, increased demand for the digital product we now offer with E-pages. So the readers are here. Now we need to discuss with advertisers
how to supplement their advertising in print and on the Internet with more interactive
advertising directly on E-pages. We believe that this has very interesting potential,”
says Thomas Hviid-Andersen about the importance of E-pages for the future business
development of Politikens Lokalaviser.
The Solution
The Visiolink solution makes it possible to manage publication of the 65 digital local
newspapers centrally from the group’s head office. According to Thomas Hviid-Andersen, this ensures both uniform presentation and an excellent user experience across the
group’s digital local newspapers. The system is fed with material from each local newspaper, and E-pages automatically keeps track of which material belongs to which of
their newspapers. Each individual local newspaper has its own website where E-pages
appears as a smart feature. The group also uses E-pages for its own digital publications,
including municipal yearbooks, magazines, etc., he says.
The Partnership
Thomas Hviid-Andersen emphasizes that mature and thoroughly tested technology
does not in itself generate success – the provider’s insight into the requirements of
media companies is also vital
“That is why we chose Visiolink. Visiolink has a great understanding of what it means to
run a media business, and what a digital publication product needs to be able to do – and
not least what it does not need to be able to do when applied to our products. Other
providers usually concentrate on the technical side of things without necessarily having the media expertise that Visiolink offers.
That is where Visiolink makes a big difference,” concludes Thomas Hviid-Andersen.
Do you want to know more about Visiolink’s interactive advertising possibilities,
please contact Visiolink at +45 70233544 or visit www.visiolink.com
With E-pages the publishers can gain new revenue streams e.g. by placing banner ads inside their online newspaper.
The newspaper group
Politikens Lokalaviser that
publishes 65 newspapers
was founded in 1999.
Number of readers:
Approximately
1 million a week
Circulation:
Approximately
Source: www.jppol.dk
E-pages are
Search Engine
Optimized and can
therefore improve
your placing on
e.g. Google.
1 million a week
fact box
“
Visiolink has a great understanding of what it means
to run a media business, and what a digital publication product needs to be able to do – and not least
what it does not need to be able to do when applied
to our products. Other providers usually concentrate
on the technical side of things without necessarily having the media expertise that Visiolink offers.
That is where Visiolink makes a big difference.
Thomas Hviid-Andersen, Politikens Lokalaviser
newspapers
11
Advanced SaaS technology that means cost savings
“
Adresseavisen
Focus On The Business
Adresseavisen is the largest of the 25 newspapers published by the Norwegian group
Polaris Media. The Norwegian regional newspaper’s Chief Technology Officer Asle Vestvik is one of those IT experts who has moved away from technology and is concentrating more on the business side of things. He is solution-oriented rather than technologyoriented, and he focuses on the value that a solution creates.
The Solution
“We chose Visiolink as a digital platform because Visiolink is a very solution-oriented
development company that thinks holistically about business issues. Their basic product is advanced technology, but the E-pages solution in no way puts additional strain
on our IT department – neither is it difficult for our readers to use. Servers, networks,
etc. are located at Visiolink. It is clearly a very interesting concept seen from an IT perspective.
“All we need to do is to supply the pdfs of the day’s newspaper – and Visiolink processes
the files. The digital newspaper is ready early the next morning,” says Asle Vestvik.
Operations
In Asle Vestvik’s opinion, Visiolink is a solution that is super-simple to use and set up
as well as extremely reliable. “The solution runs 24 hours a day, all year – and we don’t
have to do anything. So Visiolink in no way stresses our IT resources. These resources
can then be used for other, more business-oriented projects,” he says. The solution automatically keeps track of reader access to the newspaper on the Internet through integration with Adresseavisen’s circulation system
Cost Savings
In addition to creating value for both readers and the IT department, it is also anticipated that Visiolink will cause large cost savings. This is not least due to the fact that
later delivery of newspapers that have failed to reach the reader can now be handled
by giving readers access to the digital newspaper. E-pages will also be able to reduce
the number of holiday cancellations. For example, approx. 1,000 readers brought Adresseavisen on holiday by using E-pages in 2009.
In the future, Adresseavisen will be looking at the option of integrating Visiolink with
its payment systems. The newspaper also aims to use Visiolink as a central tool for
its loyalty activities. “Visiolink E-pages means that we can include various additional
value-adding reader offers with our subscriptions.
This is an option we very much want to pursue,”
concludes Asle Vestvik.
visiolink.com
Norway’s oldest daily newspaper was
founded in 1767
Number of readers:
220.000 on weekdays
Circulation:
85.000 on weekdays
Source: http://www.adressa.no
If you wish to have a Saas-based solution,
please contact Visiolink at +45 70233544 or visit www.visiolink.com
fact box
Visiolink gives
the publishers
the opportunity
to implement
subscription solutions without
having to worry
about the technical setup.
“
Visiolink’s basic product is advanced technology, but the E-pages solution in no way
puts additional strain on our IT department – neither is it difficult for our readers
to use. Servers, networks, etc. are located
at Visiolink. It’s clearly a very interesting
concept seen from an IT perspective.
Asle Vestvik, Adresseavisen.
newspapers
13
Device Independent Content Distribution
Any Device – Any Time – Anywhere
As a top priority Visiolink focus on the unique ability to deliver the content of the newspapers
at any time on any platform. As the readers become more mobile they require new methods
of receiving news. Therefore Visiolink finds it important to keep up with the constant development and meet the requirements of today and of the future by supporting all the popular
reading devices available on the market.
We already support a large number of devices:
Kindle DX
iPhone/iPod/iPad
Google Android
iREX Reader
Sony e-Reader
Og mange flere…
visiolink.com
At Visiolink we are experiencing a massive
demand on our competences and solutions. Many
exciting things are happening at the moment and
we are enjoying working with forward-looking
solutions that can help the media companies
safely into the future.
We assure cost effective distribution on new
digital platforms and thereby creates nontraditional revenue streams for the publishers.
With Visiolink’s solution the newspaper content
can be distributed to computers, Smartphones,
eReaders, Mobile Internet Devices etc. so that the
readers can subscribe for the payment content
and subsequently read it on their preferred
device.
We call it:
“Any Device – Any Time – Anywhere.”
Jens Funder Berg
CEO, Visiolink
newspapers
15
Contact information
W: www.visiolink.com T: +45 7023 3544 E: info@visiolink.com
A: Visiolink ApS › Bjoernholms Allé 20 › 8260 Viby J › Denmark