It’s no secret that Associated Newspapers currently sees its main rival in the Irish market as the Independent News & Media stable. Metro (AN) is battling Herald AM (IN&M) for the freesheet market; the (Irish) Daily Mail (AN) is challenging The Evening Herald/Irish Independent (IN&M) and Ireland on Sunday/(Irish) Mail on Sunday (AN) sees itself as an heir to the throne currently home to The Sunday Independent (IN&M).
With that intense rivalry in mind it comes as little surprise that Associated will soon cut off all ties with Independent News & Media; namely the remaining distribution links between the IoS, Buy and Sell (AN too) and Newspread (IN&M).
It makes little business sense to help your rivals make a profit, even if it is in an area that won’t directly damage your own readership. According to The Irish Times, Easons will pick up the contract starting in late August/early September and the rivalry is sure to get stronger as the year draws to a close.
Associated Newspapers ventures in Ireland to date haven’t been entirely positive. The (Irish) Daily Mail has been haemorrhaging readers since it’s launch and the Ireland on Sunday has proven itself to be an investment blackhole since the company took over there; the company are hoping a re-brand later this year will turn things around once and for all. The Metro has probably been the most successful Associated venture to date and that has so far failed to turn a profit; it is also being pipped at the post for readers by Herald AM (which hands out around 8,000 more copies a day than Metro).