Daily Mail to launch Australian edition

Britain's Daily Mail said Wednesday it will launch an Australian edition next year in a joint venture with Nine Entertainment, following in the footsteps of The Guardian. The Mail, the world's most popular English-language newspaper, will base its editorial offices in Sydney and is planning to recruit around 50 journalists. "We've had Australian readers for many years now," publisher Martin Clarke said in Sydney. "Being able to provide them with the latest local news alongside the stories that matter from the Daily Mail's reporters from around the globe, is extremely important to us." The Daily Mail's website MailOnline is visited by more than 57.3 million readers a month, according to digital analytics firm comScore, which makes it the most visited English language news website in the world. Mark Britt, chief executive of Nine Entertainment's digital arm Mi9, said that while many of the industry's players were cutting back their editorial resources, "we?re excited to be increasing our editorial footprint online". He added that the two media groups were aiming to "create the largest digital news team in the country". "This will provide Australians with a richer offering of news, lifestyle and entertainment stories in the unique MailOnline style." Britt said that Daily Mail Australia would have no paywall, in contrast to most other Australian online newspapers which now charge for some content as they transition to digital in a bid to combat sliding print advertising and circulation revenues. The Mail is following the footsteps of British rival The Guardian, which launched an Australian version in May and is also free.