New York, N.Y., July 28, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McPheters & Company has announced that it is expanding its iMonitor™ coverage of newspaper apps to those for newspapers with circulation of 150,000 or more - including the 50 largest newspapers in the US. iMonitor provides tracking and rigorous evaluation of magazine apps globally, as well as for newspapers in English-speaking and Western European countries. Previously, coverage of newspapers in the US was limited to those in the Top 10 Markets.
As a result, McPheters & Company has doubled its coverage of English-language newspaper apps from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The extensive iMonitor database now provides more than 100 metrics on about 2500 media-related apps from more than 60 countries. According to company president Rebecca McPheters, "Newspaper publishers are often leaders in app innovation. Given their important contribution to developments in this field, we think it is appropriate to expand our coverage of this area."
In announcing the list of Top 10 Newspaper Apps, Paul Burkey, who leads the iMonitor evaluative team, said "Newspaper publishers have long been flexible in delivering their content across multiple platforms, from print to the web to mobile devices, and it’s no surprise that many have made the leap to the iPad with such success." iMonitor’s rigorous evaluations award apps up to 15 points on the basis of design, functionality, and use of rich media; these Top 10 Newspaper Apps all score 14 points or more:
1. The Wall Street Journal. (USA, News Corp.)
2. El País (Spain, Ediciones El Pais)
3. The Sunday Times (UK, News Corp.)
4. MailOnline for iPad (UK, Daily Mail and General Trust)
5. The SMH for iPad (Australia, Fairfax Media Publications)
6. The Age for iPad (Australia, Fairfax Media Publications)
7. DIE WELT (Germany, Axel Springer AG)
8. The Washington Post for iPad (USA, The Washington Post Company)
9. Los Angeles Times App for iPad (USA, Tribune Company)
10. San Francisco Chronicle for iPad (USA, Hearst Communications, Inc.)
In the coming weeks, iMonitor expects to further expand its coverage to include apps for newspapers of comparable circulation in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
About McPheters & Company:
McPheters & Company is a consulting and research company which works with major media companies and advertising agencies in the areas of strategic planning, media research, and accountability metrics. Much of their work relates to the expansion of traditional media brands across evolving platforms.