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All FreePint Articles | Article Categories | 
 R.R. Donnelley expands its digital capabilities
Thursday, 1st September 2011
By
Penny Crossland
Article:
R.R. Donnelley, which was known as the world’s largest printing business, but now prefers to be called an "integrated communications solutions" provider has taken a further step towards enhancing its digital offering. The company recently acquired Texas-based LibreDigital, a well-known specialist in digital content distribution for publishers and, crucially for eReader device providers. LibreDigital already supplies digital content to the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony, and has partnerships with the leading book publishers.
As the accompanying press release states, with this acquisition R.R. Donnelley is now able to support its customers "across the breadth of the supply chain".
Content for eReaders is definitely a growth market: Knowledgespeak alerted us this week to a new report by Global Industry Analysts on the devices. The report sums up that the advent of the Kindle in 2007, which let users download books wirelessly, revolutionised the industry and led to a proliferation of eReaders. GIA forecasts units to reach $53.87 million worldwide by 2017, so demand for digital content will be keen.
R.R. Donnelley’s LibreDigital acquisition follows close on the heels of its purchase of Sequence Personal, a software provider which allows users to produce tailor-made digital publications from selected content. Another acquisition, completed in March this year, was that of Journalism Online - reported by LiveWire here - the developer of online payment system Press+. This, at the time, was seen as a wise move given the increasing trend by B2B publishers in putting up paywalls to their digital content.
R.R. Donnelley is certainly embracing digital content and distribution and as paidContent points out is putting itself in a good place to move away from the print format should consumer demand call for it.
By Penny Crossland
Penny Crossland is the owner of CH Business Research, a consultancy specialising in investigative research and market intelligence. Penny conducts research projects for clients from a variety of industry sectors, including financial services, management and security consultancy, FMCG, publishing and retail. Fluent in German, she also translates academic papers and corporate material.
Before establishing her business in 2001, Penny was Research Manager at OC&C Strategy Consultants in London. Penny graduated from Bristol University with a degree in German and Politics and has a Masters degree from London University in contemporary German Literature. She became interested in all aspects of business information through working for an industrial market research company in New York.
Penny can be reached at penny.crossland@freepint.com
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