The La Presse headquarters in Montreal.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
La Presse, Montreal's popular French-language newspaper, has struck a deal with its printer – Transcontinental Inc. – to allow it greater printing "flexibility."
Transcontinental said on Monday that it has reached an agreement with Gesca Ltée – publisher of La Presse – amending the terms of its contract with the newspaper so that Gesca will have "greater flexibility to modulate, in accordance with its needs, the printing services for the La Presse newspaper."
It was not immediately clear if that means the newspaper will appear less often in print form.
La Presse has invested heavily over the year in a strategic shift to digital, mobile news delivered on a tablet and there have been on-and-off unconfirmed reports that it wants to phase out the print edition.
"Given the current pace of change in the newspaper industry coupled with La Presse's digital strategy push over the past year, the amended agreement aligns [Transcontinental] and Gesca more closely with new realities," said Transcontinental chief executive officer François Olivier.
Terms of the deal call for Transcontinental to receive a one-time cash payment of $31-million from Gesca to compensate for price reductions on future services and the increased flexibility that Gesca will benefit from.
Bertrand Marotte