Fairfax Media announces the launch of ‘Skim’ iPhone + Apple Watch apps for SMH + The Age

Fairfax Media has today announced the launch of ‘Skim’, a new iPhone app for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that allows users to access a curated selection of the latest news and most popular stories at any given moment.

Users can read the top five stories selected by editors, the latest breaking news and the five most-read stories across popular sections.

Fairfax is the first Australian publisher to launch an Apple Watch app, with ‘Skim’ offering a new way to access content and services. With ‘Skim’ for Apple Watch, users will be able to see the latest news headlines and save them to read later on their iPhones. They can also receive live sports score alerts for the AFL, NRL and rugby union.

‘Skim’ will deliver the latest and most popular news across content sections including federal politics, business, comment, world, entertainment, technology and sport. Other features of ‘Skim’ include the ability to view related content including photos, videos and social media mentions, article sharing and the option to receive breaking news alerts.

Advertisers will be offered a range of sponsorship options across the smartphone app including branding integrated into the loading screen and full-page interstitial ads between sections.

Says Stefan Savva, Fairfax Media mobile director: “Fairfax Media’s strategy is to reach our audiences wherever they are with a tailored experience that includes getting the right product, design and content for that platform.  We are investing significantly in building our mobile web platforms and also our mobile apps, because that’s where our audiences are.

“The zeitgeist of Australian news and culture will be delivered in a very ‘up close and personal’ way with Apple Watch. Alongside breaking news alerts we will have the news that matters, updated continually throughout the day. ‘Skim’ is one of a number of new mobile products we will be bringing to the market this year.”

Says Sean Aylmer, Fairfax Media group director, news and business: “We want to help facilitate water-cooler conversations by providing the most-read stories from our main sections alongside top news that is optimised for the mobile reading experience by an editorial team that specifically writes content for these apps.

“Our mobile web platforms capture some of the largest news audiences in Australia and are geared to a broad audience that love content, convenience and immediacy. Our apps provide a different reading experience and will be targeted at our most loyal customers, our subscribers.”

The ‘Skim’ iPhone and Apple Watch apps are available as free downloads from the App Store on iPhone and from the Apple Watch App Store respectively beginning April 24. Access to content will be unlimited for Fairfax subscribers. Non-Fairfax subscribers will receive 10 free articles a month.