Newspapers may get a boost from AdGet

With subscriptions and advertising dollars waning, newspaper publishers are increasingly turning to the Web to help make up the difference. NewspaperDirect's SmartEdition could help papers better manage their revenue.

by Kristina Knight

"With SmartEdition, publisher’s customers benefit from anywhere/anytime access to current and back issues of their publications, while enjoying audited paid circulation and a new advertising platform," was written on the company website.

The platform is geared toward small, local newspapers. Called AdGet, it is a cost-per-action model geared toward advertising for digital editions of the local papers. The platform allows for audio and video ads and also gives consumers a "click to transact" button so that advertisers can offer a quicker transaction. Restaurants could offer online reservations or car dealers could offer online sign-ups for test drives, according to one report.

The SmartEdition itself is a kind of cross between traditional newspapers and online editions. It offers a text reader for the online editions. NewspaperDirect is currently working with more than 550 local newspapers, many of which are in Canada.

According to a recent report from the Newspaper Association of America online newspaper advertising revenue continues to rise. In Q2, online editions showed a 19% increase in revenue to reach $796 million. Newspaper websites are currently accounting for about 7% of total newspaper ad spending.