USA Today allows apps developers access to its data

USA Today's foray into opening its content follows the market trend whereby content creators are developing ecosystem of devices, applications and developer community around their content.

Current trend is to create differentiation through delivery as content offering becomes similar across various markets. Thus, we have Amazon creating Kindle around its content and also have applications loaded on iPhones, iPads and Android-based devices that allow access to its repository of content.

Recently news agency Reuters has also launched an application for iPads that allows access to its award winning news photography and video, besides News Pro for iPads.

USA Todays' wants to create such an environment that avails users multiple access points through a variety of devices and also through innovative applications that can display its content in new formats.

Newspapers have taken a major hit from the emerging freely available online content and are struggling to create revenue model around online content. Thus going the apps way can generate revenues through a revenue sharing model.

USA Today is in the throes of restructuring, it slashed 9 percent of its job force last month, in a bid to shift its focus to its digital operations from the print edition. Other newspapers are due to follow suit in an attempt to leverage their data archives.