Australia has been part of The Huffington Post’s international expansion plans since 2011. In 2015 the publisher is finally going to pull the trigger.
Koda Wang, general manager of international at The Huffington Post (also known as HuffPo), told B&T that Australia is next for the digital only news site after India and the Middle East.
“We are going to be pretty aggressive and be in Australia by quarter one next year,” said Wang.
According to Wang, the publisher is not yet in hiring mode and has not decided where HuffPo’s Australian headquarters will be as they are yet to settle on a local partner.
“We will be partnering when we go into Australia just like most of our other internationals,” said Wang, who would not reveal which companies they are considering.
When The Huffington Post launched in Japan it joined forces with Asahi Shimbun, chose newspaper Le Monde and French media house Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendantes for its push into France and La Repubblica publisher Gruppo Espresso in Italy.
It will launch in Australia with a “modest” editorial team with a true start-up mentality which Wang says will “grow very briskly”.
A 2015 launch would make Australia HuffPo’s 13th market outside of the US with The Huffington Post India and Middle East to launch in quarter four this year.
Wang, who will be in Australia for ADMA’s Global Forum next week, said Australia has been part “of the original roadmap” it began executing in 2011 with its Canadian launch.
Two years ago Jimmy Maymann, The Huffington Post’s current CEO and former head of international at AOL Huffington Post Media Group, told The Australian it would launch locally in the second quarter of 2013.
But its Australian plans were reportedly put on hold as its focus shifted to Japan and Brazil.
Next year’s launch will see HuffPo tread the now well-worn path of international news brands breaking into Australia with big names Buzz Feed, The Guardian and The Mail Online all now active in the market.
“We’ve launched in other markets to date based on a set of strategic variables. Other publishers may have chosen to go to Australia sooner because of their comfort with English, but we’ve launched in markets like France and Japan with solid success as well.
“At this point, we’re very excited to be entering the market in Q1 2015.”
When the site does launch Wang says they will be doing it “the hard way”.
“Unlike other media brands we don’t simply licence our brand or set up a URL and start translating content when we go into a new market.
“Our strategy has been to provide local content for local audiences and being engaging at the country level. So it is not just about importing Huff Post US content.
“When we hire staff and build a site there it will be a site for Australians, by Australians with Australian content.”
Wang believes this commitment sets The Huffington Post’s expansion plans apart from other global media brands and said it is the reason it has grown so quickly in its 10 markets outside the US.
“We have launched 10 editions in the past three years…now these editions comprise almost half, or 47% of all of our traffic.”
Wang said Australia offers more opportunities than barriers for The Huffington Post with the high smartphone penetration making Australia “very attractive”. PwC’s Australian Entertainment and Media Outlook 2014-2018 forecast local smartphone penetration as 73% this year.
“In some ways that technology infrastructure is more favourable then it is in the US,” Wang said.
Wang said they will need to ensure HuffPo has the “right voice and right nuance” for Australian audiences but said the local launch complexities “cause far fewer heart palpitations” then many other potential markets.
HuffPo Australia will be consistent with the brand’s international DNA and will be committed to the “convergence of content and conversation”.
“We will have journalism that looks beyond left or right, we want to engage the community, we like to mix highbrow and the lowbrow – the high and the low can totally co-exist – and we also want to help people live the life they want,” Wang concluded.
