REPORT: MURDOCH TO SPEND MILLIONS ON IPAD APP

Rupert Murdoch’s vision of the iPad as a converging device for his newspaper and television properties is being rendered into reality more quickly than anyone had supposed. In recent interviews Murdoch has envisioned a tablet-only news vehicle featuring short items from his newspapers accompanied by photos that would, if touched, be transformed into footage from his Fox News Channel. “It’s a real game changer in the presentation of news,” Murdoch said last week. Now, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that plans are already underway for the digital newspaper to be operated by Murdoch’s New York Post and to be overseen by its managing editor, Jesse Angelo. The Times, citing people familiar with the matter, said that Murdoch’s News Corp hopes to launch the digital newspaper as an iPad app by the end of this year and charge an as-yet-undetermined monthly subscription fee. Murdoch, the Times noted, is prepared to invest “millions of dollars” in the undertaking and hire dozens of reporters and editors to staff it. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Friday) that at least seven of the ten largest cable, satellite and phone companies are planning to launch iPad apps this year that will allow users to watch TV shows and movies on demand.