Mirror.co.uk To Tap Trinity’s Regionals For Local Presence

Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI) plans to tap its network of 53 regional newspaper websites to give the national Mirror.co.uk some local legs. Mirror Group Newspapers digital head Paul Hood wants to add a “personalised and localised” service to the news site, which has languished in online performance thanks in part to some wonky redesigns. Hood told NMA he wants Mirror.co.uk to become “a starting point for web usage”. A lofty goal indeed – the site has lost significant ground to its biggest print rival, The Sun (11.6 million unique monthly users), while Mirror.co.uk is reported to have just three million, though it does not report figures audited by ABCe. But its regional stable gives it ample opportunity to counter Sun Online’s plan to roll out localised classified advertising – several Trinity titles have already made strides with hyperlocal coverage narrowed down to post code area and the overhaul of the regionals’ underlying design is well on its way.