No surprise: The New York Times announces its new Windows 8 app

To coincide with the launch of Windows 8, the New York Times has announced that it’s launching an app especially for the new Metro-style operating system. It will be available from tomorrow, October 26.

The New York Times parent group saw revenues of $2.3 billion in 2011, which includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, About.com and other related properties. For the New York Times itself, it is often cited as one of the biggest paywall success stories, as it continues to draw in subscribers to its online and app-based news offering.

So, it comes with little surprise that it’s looking to continue these efforts with Windows 8, and it will be available through the Windows Store when the operating system is made available tomorrow. Furthermore, The Times will also have its own channel within the Bing News app, which comes pre-installed on all Windows 8 machines.

Both will offer in-app authentication for existing Times subscribers, while non-subscribers will have access to the Top News section and can purchase digital subscriptions for full access.

In terms of what’s new to the Windows 8 app, well, given that it’s optimized for the Metro-style platform, you’ll see tiles, which let you ‘pin’ any of the sections to see the latest headlines at a glance, while edge-swiping and other Windows 8-specific navigation will obviously feature.

“The introduction of these two apps for Windows 8 demonstrates our commitment to bringing our journalism to our readers on the platform of their choice,” says Denise Warren, general manager, NYTimes.com and senior vice president and chief advertising officer, The New York Times Media Group. “Whether they are on desktop, laptop or tablet, or they are browsing through the top headlines on the Bing News app, The Times’s journalism will be there to help readers better understand the world they are living in.

“This spectrum of news apps provides a powerful cross-application advertising sponsorship opportunity that delivers an audience at significant scale in a trusted New York Times environment,” she continued.

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