Distribution
The newspaper is no longer distributed solely through traditional old media routes and is now part of the new convergent culture. As part of its digital strategy it can be accessed from its main site Guardian.co.uk, from any broadband connection from a range of devices. As the newspaper only sells 160,000 per day and the online version attracts 9 million unique daily browsers per day there are obvious advantages to convergent new media distribution. It also allows The Guardian to attract more global readers. 1/3 of The Guardian's hits come from The U.S and Australia meaning that it is increasingly looking to become a global news brand. Most newspapers are also distributed digitally and some such as The Independent have ceased printing to save on production costs and are now entirely online.
It has also invested in a separate mobile site and in producing apps for ipads, android phones and iphones, all of which can be used with subscriptions.
The costs of each app: 11.99 pounds subscription for online digital copies of all news including weekend versions and The Observer which is The Guardian's Sunday paper. The newspaper has over 180,000 current subscribers. The newspaper is also trying to encourage its online readers to donate £5 a month to ensure its survival.
The Guardian app is free to download for mobile devices but there is a premium edition for 2.49 a month.
A separate website is designed specifically for mobile phones with smaller screens and slower internet connection speeds.
Buying the subscription allows readers to both know they are continuing to support the paper and download content so that it can be read off line. The digital newspaper also encourages readers to make online donations of £5 to maintain its quality journalism.
There is also a facebook, kindle, iphone and ipad and tablet app.
These forms of distribution are beneficial to the consumer as they offer improved ease of use and for the producer this multi platform approach helps to target more technologically demanding and global audiences.
Guardian news and stories are also distributed through SNS. The Youtube page has 300,000 subscribers and includes over 6000 Guardian videos that have been uploaded as part of its move towards multimedia.
The Facebook app has been downloaded over 6 million times and the Facebook page has over 7 million likes and The Guardian has over 6 million followers on Twitter as well as over 600,000 on Instagram.