IBT Media?s Newsweek publication is bringing its news content to iPhone users with a new application, giving readers on mobile a sneak peek of the weekly edition in a bid to ramp up subscriptions.

Consumers will be able to read the newspaper in full each week with a custom layout that has been optimized for mobile devices for the first time. As more media publishers head to mobile to increase audience outreach, Newsweek is in a necessary position to attract younger consumers on digital platforms.

?There was a Pew report earlier this year that showed that 39 of the top 50 news sites have more traffic coming from mobile devices than desktops,? said Kira Bindrim, managing editor for Newsweek, New York.

?It's always been in our best interest to make sure Newsweek content is available in and optimized for any platform ? last year that meant rebuilding the print product and the Web site; this year it's mobile.?

Revamping platforms
Consumers may visit the Apple App store to download the Newsweek application, which will be free for all existing subscribers. Those who are new to the publication will receive one free issue upon successful download, after which further single issues may be purchased for $4.99 each.

If users wish to become full-fledged subscribers after their free preview, they may opt to pay $3.99 for a one-month subscription or $39.99 for a one-year membership.

The organization is offering an additional perk for digital subscribers: they will get each new full issue on Thursdays, one day ahead of the print publication day, which is Friday. This exclusivity could prompt some readership to move to digital.

?Newsweek has potential to engage mobile audiences by offering unique content designed to complement their digital property,? said Joline McGoldrick, vice president of research at Millward Brown Digital, Washington, D.C. ?If it?s just the digital property within an app, the app is likely to face an uphill challenge in gaining subscribers. 

?The key is that the app contemplates how audiences consume news differently on mobile and that the functionality and coverage reflects this understanding.?

Newsweek, which is the second-largest weekly magazine for news in the nation, merged with opinion site The Daily Beast in 2010, which led to its ceasing of print publication in December 2012. Digital formats were planned to take over entirely, until it was acquired by IBT Media in 2013.

A print edition was relaunched by the brand in 2014.

While print publications may resonate with its long-standing readers, the move to mobile is an imperative one for the brand as it strives to stay afloat in the competitive news sector.

There are currently no plans in development for an Android app.

Publishers on mobile
This past March, the New York Times forayed into storytelling reporting and photojournalism on social media by unveiling its primary account on Instagram, suggesting that image-based stories may resonate most positively with mobile device users (see story).

It is also crafting one-sentence stories specifically for Apple Watch users, which is likely to extend the newsgathering organization?s efforts to cater to individual consumers, a growing priority for mobile marketers in the publishing industry (see story).

Meanwhile, The Economist is continuing its partnership with Samsung by rolling out its mobile application to all of the manufacturer?s next-generation devices including the Galaxy S6 (see story).

Ultimately, as app usage skyrockets, consumers are increasingly on the lookout for bite-sized, snackable pieces of content, which extends to their news consumption. Larger smartphone screens also are well-suited for extended periods of reading.

?The apps in particular are an especially favored format among readers still attached to individual issues,? Ms. Bindrim said. ?Mobile readership has increased on the iPad, and we expect to see major growth on the iPhone, but it's of course also increasing in browsers.

?We're constantly looking at that shift and trying to figure out the best way to react to it.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York