NOW Magazine Expands Omnichannel Audience by 22% from Q4 2018 to Q4 2019

Investment in high-quality content and increased digital presence drive readership growth for the nearly 40-year-old pioneering publication

TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Media Central Corporation Inc. ("MediaCentral") (CSE:FLYY, FSE:3AT) today announced impressive growth for its wholly owned subsidiaries NOW Magazine and nowtoronto.com ("NOW") when comparing audience data from October to December in 2018 against the same period in 2019.

The popular news and lifestyle brand achieved significant growth for its digital property with a user* increase of 26% at nowtoronto.com during the fourth quarter of 2019 versus 2018.

NOW's weekly print issue also reported year-over-year growth for the final quarter of 2019. The newspaper saw a 12% increase in readership compared to the same period in 2018, with an average of an additional 176,000 Torontonians picking up the publication at over 740 locations each month. 

Factors contributing to the growth in audience include an aggressive seven-day news cycle with fresh content posted multiple times daily; a dedicated focus on social media driving increased traffic to nowtoronto.com and original features that speak to issues directly effecting the people of Toronto including homelessness, real estate woes and public transportation.

"NOW's impressive 22 percent overall audience growth for the recent quarter is a testament to our commitment for providing original and informed cutting-edge journalism. As MediaCentral moves to execute phase one of our digitization strategy we are especially thrilled to report the significant increase of NOW's digital audience," said Brian Kalish, CEO of MediaCentral, who took control of NOW in Q4 of 2019. "The engaged and influential digital following of NOW creates some serious opportunities for us to monetize this iconic publication, creating best practices as we move forward in consolidating the 100 million strong readers of alternative titles across North America."

Summary of audience growth comparing Q4 2019 to Q4 2020:

• Print: From 1,460,000 average monthly readers to 1,636,000 average monthly readers; 12 percent increase
• Digital: From 1,993,772 users to 2,516,965; 26.2 percent increase
• Digital: From 2,673,962 sessions to 3,154,856; 18 percent increase

*Users are defined as the number of unique visitors to a web site based on browser cookies. 

Sources
Print - Vividata Winter 2018 Report, Vividata Winter 2019 Report
Digital – Google analytics (October-December 2018 versus October-December 2019)

About NOW Central Communications Inc.
NOW Central owns and operates NOW Magazine and nowtoronto.com. NOW is Toronto's news and entertainment voice, published in print every Thursday, and daily at nowtoronto.com.  Reaching over 25 million annual readers, NOW has been a leading publication, defining and pioneering the independent and alternative voice for more than 38 years. NOW Central Communications Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Central Corporation Inc. (CSE: FLYY, FSE: 3AT). 

nowtoronto.com Instagram: @nowtoronto Twitter: @nowtoronto Facebook: facebook.com/nowmagazine

About Media Central Corporation Inc.
Media Central Corporation Inc. (CSE: FLYY, FSE: 3AT) is an independent media company situated to acquire and develop high-quality publishing assets starting with the recent acquisition of NOW Communications Inc. and the launch of digital cannabis platform CannCentral.com. MediaCentral is consolidating and digitally monetizing the over 100 million coveted and premium readers of the 100 alternative weekly newspapers across North America, creating the most powerful untapped audience of influencers. 

For more information: www.mediacentralcorp.com 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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SOURCE Media Central Corporation Inc.

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