Murdoch's Launch of 'The Daily' (Live Blog)

By Lucia Moses on Feb 2 2011

Adweek's Lucia Moses live-blogged this morning's event in New York introducing News Corp.'s The Daily, the first newspaper for Apple's iPad.

11:58 AM ET So, that's it. The Daily is still, at its core, a newspaper, with news, sports and gossip. It has plenty of editorial talent behind it. And Apple is going to promote it heavily. The big question remains: After the hype dies down, will it be compelling enough to get people pay for it when there's so much free content readily available on the Web? No question, Murdoch could use a hit.   Thanks for reading.

11:50 AM ET Miller expects the revenue to be a 50-50 advertising/circulation split.

11:48 AM ET Without a print counterpart, The Daily will promote discovery and build a scalable audience by making some content available free on TheDaily.com, and users will be able to freely share some links. But Angelo explains the content won't be completely available for free on the Web site, presumably to protect The Daily's paid model.

11:38 AM ET Murdoch says he's being (unusually) hands-off about the editorial slant of his newest publication, which is expected to be more centrist than his others. "The editorial position will be in the hands of the editor," he says. Jesse Angelo, the editor, says it'll be "patriotic."

11:36 AM ET Jon Miller, News Corp.'s chief digital officer, says The Daily's competition isn't limited to other news sources: "You have to think you're competing with Angry Birds at some level. You do have to have the mind-set you're competing very broadly."

11:33 AM ET Murdoch confirms the $30 million startup cost of The Daily and says it will burn less than half a million a week.

11:31 AM ET Apple's vp of digital services, Eddy Cue, is asked when an iPad subscription option will be available for other publications and about Apple's strained relationship with publishers. He replies: "You'll hear an announcement from us very soon. We have a great relationship with other publications." I'm sure that'll be news to a lot of magazine publishers.

11:28 AM ET The Daily goes live at noon today and will be updated throughout the day. Miller says the first two weeks are free and that other offers are forthcoming—which will help goose initial downloads, although the big challenge will be to keep users interested enough in paying for it, week in and week out.   There is no mention of a reported "push subscription" feature, but Apple's Eddy Cue says customers can opt to be billed weekly or yearly. Don't magazines wish they had that option.

11:21 AM ET Angelo confirms users will be able to share stories by pushing a "share" button and says there will be hyperlinks to the Web. Of course, The Daily won't be available on the Web, only on the iPad, which could limit its ability to amass a larger audience.

11:20 AM ET Jesse Angelo reveals the cover of the launch issue. I'm surprised at how clean the design looks. Angelo talks about its ability to use 360-degree photographs and all types of media. It will run 100 pages each day.   As for navigation, there's a carousel with tiles representing each story visually. You can also swipe through pages. A lean-back reading experience it's not: There's audio announcing top stories of the day and a video anchor.

11:16 AM ET The cost is confirmed at 14 cents per day.

11:14 AM ET Murdoch explains that The Daily is designed to appeal to people who are news consumers but don't read traditional media. "We must make the business of news gathering and editing viable again. Our aim is to make The Daily the indispensible source of information, news and entertainment," he says.

11:09 AM ET Rupert Murdoch takes the stage and wastes no time in thanking Apple's Steve Jobs, whose support of The Daily was critical. "Steve has been a champion of The Daily from day one," Murdoch says.

10:54 AM ET I'm told that joining Murdoch on stage from News Corp. will be Jon Miller, his chief digital officer; Jesse Angelo, editor of The Daily; and Greg Clayman, its publisher.   The event was supposed to happen in San Francisco last month with Apple's Steve Jobs, who is taking a leave of absence as he continues his battle with cancer.

10:37 AM ET We're at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, where News Corp. is about to finally reveal The Daily, the first newspaper created for the iPad. News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch is expected to be on hand, along with Apple's vp of digital services, Eddy Cue.   Despite News Corp.'s efforts to keep the venture under wraps (only recently acknowledging it was more than a rumor), plenty of details have trickled out, including its price (99 cents a week), key hires (the New York Post's Jesse Angelo and Richard Johnson, to name a couple) and whiz-bang features like 3-D. Today's event presumably will get into details like the subscription model and whether The Daily will be available on other devices besides the iPad.   How The Daily fares will provide some indication of whether consumers will pay for digital content, a key issue confronting all of print. For News Corp. in particular, one question is: Will The Daily, into which News Corp. is sinking a reported $30 million, succeed or become the latest in its long history of digital flops?

BACKGROUND FROM ADWEEK:
Murdoch, Jobs to Unveil Daily Together
Murdoch to Buy Shine?
Murdoch Daily Launch Delayed
A Prolonged History of Murdoch's iBlunders
Branson 'Project' Stirring Murdoch Rivalry?
Murdoch Looks to Stop Possible 'Daily' Lawsuit
News Corp. Buys Into Ed Tech Firm