The Irish Times daily newspaper has re-launched its Ireland.com site with help from EMC Consulting.
In a bid to overcome a decline in circulation and advertising revenues, the media group has gone live with a pioneering website, set to become the ‘homepage to Ireland’.
Ireland.com, the digital home of the Irish Times, has long had a reputation for reporting international sports, business, arts and lifestyle news, as well as jobs and property listings.
Like many newspapers, the Irish Times was seeing its legacy business model threatened by growth of digital media and changing consumer media consumption patterns. It was therefore looking for a new digital presence that would boost circulation figures and generate advertising revenues.
EMC Consulting helped the Irish Times adapt to shifting media consumption trends and establish multiple new sources of revenue generation from online display ads, contextual search, affiliate, directory and advertorial content.
The solution architecture from EMC also allows the company to white-label and resell the platform to other media owners.
“EMC has helped us to create a dynamic and contemporary website for Ireland, which meets the everyday needs of the millions of Irish internet users around the world,” explained Ali Rahenma, director of Corporate Development for the Irish Times.
The new site offers free access to a wide range of relevant web content. Users can now experience an enhanced personalised service, with pages built according to their individual search preference. Content is drawn from numerous sources, generating relevant links and enhancing each one with user-generated content and popularity status.
Detailed news commentary and analysis can be also found at Irishtimes.com.
“The work we have done for the Irish Times has given us an opportunity to enhance a well-respected brand and bring a whole new experience to its users,” said Matt Bagwell, creative director, EMC Consulting.
“In the current economic climate, traditional media outlets need to find new ways to bring relevant content to their readers while generating revenues. The new site will do this and so much more,” Bagwell added.
By Grainne Rothery
