WNL launches first-ever 24/7 breaking news Apps

Wijeya Newspapers broke new ground in Sri Lanka on Wednesday by launching the first-ever breaking news application (Apps).

Wijeya Newspapers, Sri Lanka’s largest newspaper circulation group, launched News Apps for two of its top publications – the Daily Mirror and Daily Lankadeepa – whilst also launching Web 2.0 e-papers for the Sunday Times and Sunday Lankadeepa. Staying on top of digital trends, the launch of the Breaking News apps and e-papers by Wijeya Newspapers comes at an apt time.

Keeping in line with the holistic theme of the launch, the event was designed and organised by Arc Worldwide Sri Lanka along with its development partner Shift Solutions, with technical support provided by Runeware Integrated – showcasing the very best of digital media.

The innovative video mapping sequence incorporated a live product demo and for the first time in Sri Lanka, a logo – the Daily Mirror masthead – was used to trigger an Augmented Reality (AR) experience. Championing change in the ever-dynamic media industry, it was a truly memorable evening for Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the launch, Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Director Sujan Wijewardena stated: “Digital media is in the spotlight – and as one of the biggest media houses in the country, we felt we should champion this change. While contemplating this, the idea to move into news apps came through by analysing the monthly traffic rankings of the Daily Mirror’s website, which indicated that the usage of smart devices to log on to the site was quite significant – especially the iPad , iPhone and Android devices.

“After much careful consideration we first built the Daily Mirror Breaking News app for the IOS and Android systems, which has proven to be very successfully with over 10,000 downloads within four weeks. Lankadeepa’s Breaking News app is the first-ever Sinhala language-based application. We deemed it crucial for us to be able to reach every single one of our readers, including those residing overseas.”

“Wijeya is known for being the first in many things. In 1979 we set up the first web offset printing press in Sri Lanka to print our weekly publications. We also published the world’s first Sinhala newspaper website in 1995. In 2005 and 2006 we launched the first e-paper and first breaking-news website, respectively. Therefore, today’s launch of the Breaking News apps and e-papers also proves that we are the first to embrace digital media and be the forerunner in the industry,” said Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Director Lal Jayawardena.

The newly-launched Breaking News apps can be downloaded on to iPhones, iPads and Android devices. The applications will automatically update breaking news 24/7 – and also allow you to read other stories from the respective publication’s websites, watch videos and even share stories via email, Twitter or Facebook.

The e-paper, a subscribed online version of a newspaper, could be configured to be read on any device at anytime, on an online or downloaded version. The e-paper is also “visually impaired friendly”. It can be accessed via Press-Reader, which is downloadable on Android, Blackberry, iPhones/iPads, HoneyComb and Windows.

Wijeya Newspapers is well known for its innovative breakthroughs to ensure that news is available to everyone at any given time.  Following the launch of the first-ever Braille newspaper in Sri Lanka a few weeks ago, the Breaking News apps and e-papers are a truly revolutionary step forward for Sri Lanka to bring the latest in news to you.