Next Media sets aside $10m for Sharp launch

SING TAO   FREE NEWSPAPERS   NEXT MEDIA

Hong Kong - Next Media said it will invest HK$10 million to launch its free newspaper Sharp Daily, as part of an ambitious plan to reach a daily readership of one million.

Next Media is set to launch the free newspaper in the middle of September with plans to reach 1 million readers daily.

The paper will be supported with online audio, which allows users to get news in audio form, with sound effects to make the listening experience more engaging.

Next plans to launch the title with a big splash, with an integrated ad campaign covering various mediums which is believed to be $10 million.

The news comes as its soon-to-be rival Headline Daily, owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, boasts record readership rise.

Synovate Media Atlas data shows Headline Daily's readership reached a new record of 1,695,000, noting that its investor readership grew to 667,000.

"Our vision is for Headline Daily to be the biggest winner in a large advertising market for free newspapers and to become the most prevalent newspaper," Ho Tsu-Kwok, chairman at Sing Tao News Corporation, said.

In order to broadcast its success, it will run a print campaign on its free weekly newspaper and magazine, as well as a 30-second TVC on-air and Youtube which will run till late September.  

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