TORONTO, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - Weeks away from celebrating the one-year
anniversary of the Huffington Post Canada, AOL Canada and the
Huffington Post Media Group (HPMG) announce today a regional expansion
that will include HuffPost British Columbia and HuffPost Alberta. The
sites will feature HuffPost's signature mix of news, blogging,
community, and social engagement, to capture the unique cultures of
both provinces, with regional editorial teams leveraging the power of
the HuffPost platform to deliver the most important and most
entertaining local stories.
"HuffPost Canada was our first international edition and has always had
a special place in the HuffPost family," said Arianna Huffington,
president and editor-in-chief of HPMG. "And I'm delighted that we'll be
welcoming even more voices to the conversation by expanding to British
Columbia and Alberta, just as we expanded to Quebec in February. Since
we're already in a celebratory mood with HuffPost Canada approaching
its first birthday, there's no better time to enlarge
the discussion with the unique perspectives of these vibrant
provinces."
HuffPost British Columbia and HuffPost Alberta will bring HuffPost's
blogging platform to the Western Canadian media market, not only
connecting readers with the news they most care about, but inviting
them to tell their own stories. Together with the journalistic
experience and local expertise of HuffPost's editorial teams, these
stories, told in the voices of those who live and work in British
Columbia and Alberta, will reflect the provinces' vital issues across a
range of subjects, from politics and lifestyle to business and sports.
"More than one third of all Canadian traffic to Huffington Post sites is
from Western Canada, so regional expansion is a natural progression,"
said Graham Moysey, general manager, AOL Canada. "The site has seen
tremendous success since its launch in May 2011; monthly unique
visitors to Huffington Post sites have increased 80 per cent to 2.8 M
UVs."
The strong social DNA, vital to the HuffPost model, will extend to
connect with the social communities of B.C. and Alberta. The Huffington
Post Canada currently generates more than 2 million social actions a
month through its commenting and sharing platforms and its social media
channels including facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.*
HuffPost B.C. and HuffPost Alberta are scheduled to launch in Fall 2012.
Source: comScore, Inc. Total Canada, Home and Work, March 2012 compared
to June 2011, The Huffington Post data from [E] Huffington Post Global.
*Based on HPMG internal data
##
About AOL
Having helped millions of people to get online, AOL Inc. is on a mission
to inform, entertain and connect the world. The home of a world-class
collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages
audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with
these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising
solutions.
