Toronto Star to drop paywall and launch a new ad-driven tablet like La Presse

The Toronto Star is going to launch a new ad-driven tablet edition in the fall of 2015, built  upon a model shared with and developed by La Presse. And, at the same time, the newspaper will be pulling down its paywall which only went up a little over a year ago. 

La Presse+ is a tablet edition the French-language newspaper publisher built and launched in 2013 with a $40-million investment.

"This is another important step forward for our industry," said Cruickshank. "The new tablet edition will be a key element of our multi-platform evolution. We are encouraged and impressed by the reception of La Presse+, which has attracted a highly engaged younger audience."

Apparently this is considered opportune timing as Torstar has unloaded its debt using the proceeds from the $455 million sale of Harlequin Books.

Cruickshank said the company foresees joint marketing opportunities with its French-language partner and will be looking for more revenue from digital ads. However, when asked whether he sees signs of improvement in print advertising revenue, he replied simply: "Not at present."