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Star Tribune Becomes First and Only Minnesota Media Site That’s 100-Percent HTML5-Ready
MINNEAPOLIS – Sept. 10, 2015 – Star Tribune Media Co., Minnesota’s largest news organization, today announced full support for HTML5 throughout its website, becoming Minnesota’s first 100-percent HTML5-ready news and information site. Through this move, StarTribune.com—Minnesota’s most-visited website—moves to a “post-Flash future” and ensures that advertisers continue to successfully reach their audiences and markets with high-quality interactive ads. At the same time, site visitors enjoy a safer, richer user experience.
Star Tribune’s commitment to HTML5 follows Google’s recent update to its popular Chrome browser that now automatically disables content using Adobe Flash it deems “non-essential” to the user experience. Similarly, the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation has intermittently disabled Flash content in its popular Firefox browser, citing security concerns. These moves endanger advertisers’ ability to display Flash-based ad content, leading Star Tribune to move carefully but decisively in three important ways:
- Rearchitected Website—Earlier this year, StarTribune.com was rebuilt from the ground up. The site, which receives more than 7 million unique visitors each month, serves no Flash content and its advanced ad-serving technology fully supports HTML5.
- Creative Assistance—The Star Tribune creative services team is working closely with advertisers to move to the post-Flash future by designing HTML5-based ads that effectively display across browsers and devices. Star Tribune can also convert advertisers’ existing Flash-based assets into HTML5 to simplify this transition.
- Stronger Digital Analytics—To help advertisers understand who’s engaging with their content, Star Tribune’s digital analytics team will work with advertisers to provide detailed campaign reporting and insights. These analyses will also confirm that advertising investments result in high-quality creative placements that display properly and yield the maximum expected impact.
“We’re proud to take a leadership role and make these investments on behalf of our valued advertisers,” said Ray Faust, vice president of emerging media. “While we continue to accept advertisers’ Flash-based creative, we will also work carefully to mitigate or minimize the risks of Flash content during this important transition to HTML5. It’s important for our advertisers to know that their campaigns on StarTribune.com are delivering as they expect and require as they pursue their business objectives.”
About Star Tribune Media Company
Star Tribune Media Company LLC is a locally owned, award-winning media company serving Minnesota and the upper Midwest. With the seventh-largest Sunday and 12th-largest daily circulation newspaper in the U.S., the most-visited local website, a range of home-delivered advertising solutions, and a popular arts/entertainment publication and mobile app, Star Tribune reaches more consumers than any other Minnesota media brand.
Media contact:
Steve Yaeger
612-673-4256 (office)
651-357-3036 (mobile)
steve.yaeger@startribune.com