BANGKOK - The Nation newspaper will stop its print editions and go fully online from July 1, when the independent English-language daily turns 48, to focus more on its core online readers including those based abroad, the top executive of the company that owns the paper said on Thursday .
He said that meant most of the newspaper's readers did not buy its paper editions, and they read its reports and articles from the website and through different digital platforms. Mr Somchai said that as the market for new media was growing, old media businesses like newspapers were fast declining. This could be seen in the continuing decrease in the advertising budgets for publications - down 20 per cent a year on average, compared to an annual 20 per cent growth for new media.
The CEO said that The Nation's online edition would also provide an audible version. He also unveiled |plans for a Mandarin version from October"because at present more than 10 million Chinese visit and invest in Thailand"."The editorial staff and employees of The Nation will continue with their work. There will only be a shift in focus from print to online," he said.