MADRID (AFP) — A new daily newspaper will hit Spain's already crammed newsstands on Wednesday which will cost half of its paid competitors in an effort to steal readers from both paid and the hugely popular free papers.
Called "Publico" the left-leaning newspaper will have 64 all colour pages -- compared to the roughly 20 pages put out by free newspapers -- and will feature more graphics and bigger pictures as well as shorter articles than paid papers.
The newspaper, backed by Spanish media group Mediapro, will focus on arts, science and sports and will cost 50 cents compared to one euro for most paid papers, said its director Ignacio Escolar.
"Politics will not be a subject which we will dedicate most of our time and efforts," he told a news conference last week called to unveil the new paper appearing just six months before a general election.
The target of the newspaper will be young urban residents who began reading daily newspapers thanks to the arrival of free newspapers with their breezier style, its director-general, Juan Pedro Valentin, told AFP.
"Publico" will have a print run of 250,000 copies but Mediapro, an affiliate of WPP Group, refused to give a forecast for sales of the newspaper.
"We can call this newspaper a sort of hybrid," the president of the Association for Mass Media Investigation (AIMC), Carlos Lozano, told AFP, explaining that it shared features of both paid and free newspapers.
"Publico" appears to be viable, he added, since sales of paid newspapers have held up in the face of competition from the Internet and free newspapers while readership of free newspapers is rising.
Four of the ten most read newspapers in Spain are handed out for free and the arrival of free newspapers has "set off a revolution," said Lozano.
"It has expanded the number of readers. The paid press attracts relatively older people, of a higher social class. The free newspapers have expanded this base, adding younger people, those of a lower class, immigrants," he said.
With 2.37 million readers "20minutos," a free daily, is Spain's most read newspaper followed by sports daily Marca with 2.33 million readers and left-leaning paid daily El Pais with 2.18 million readers, according to the latest AIMC figures.
In addition to targeting readers of free newspapers, "Publico" is also aimed at those who are already faithful to a daily newspaper but often buy a second one to complement their daily press dose, said Valentin.
The only other daily left-leaning newspaper is "El Pais" which is published by powerful Spanish media group Prisa.
Mediapro, a major shareholder in television channel La Sexta, has been stepping up its competition with Prisa.
Last year it bought the rights to broadcast football matches involving Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in a blow to Sogecable, Spain's leading pay-TV platform which is controlled by Prisa and telecoms firm Telefonica.
Commenting on the growing clash between the two firms, former Spanish Socialist prime minister Felipe Gonzalez said he was "worried" about the possibility of "collateral damage and friendly fire."
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