Johannesburg, South Africa: In an age of endless scrolling, the printed newspaper is making a genuine comeback. One of the world’s most respected mastheads is now arriving earlier in South African hands than ever before. Financial Times Weekend (FT Weekend), the Financial Times’ flagship weekend edition, is now being printed and distributed locally in South Africa for the first time, cutting the wait between London’s presses and a Sandton breakfast table from days to hours.
Until now, South African readers wanting FT Weekend in print had to rely on delayed imports or read it exclusively on screen. That changes with this launch, made possible through a local distribution partnership with On the Dot, one of South Africa’s largest media logistics companies, responsible for the majority of magazine and newspaper distribution nationwide.
“This is about giving South African readers the same experience as someone reading FT Weekend in London or New York, on the same weekend, in print, with the full depth and quality that the FT is known for. For years, South African readers have had to wait days for imported copies or settle for a screen. That wait is now over. On the Dot’s national distribution network makes this possible: we’re delivering a world-class publication to boardroom tables, retail shelves and front doors across the country, on the weekend it’s meant to be read.” ~ André van Tonder, Managing Executive, On the Dot
Why this matters now
Global research consistently shows that readers value print for reasons screens don’t replicate: a finite, curated edit of the week’s most important stories, free of notifications and infinite scroll, and a tactile ritual that fits into a weekend morning rather than competing for attention against a phone. FT executives themselves have described FT Weekend as “richer in print,” and that experience is now available to South African readers on the same weekend it’s read in London, New York and Singapore.
Locally printed copies will be available at select retailers, including Exclusive Books, Woolworths, Checkers and other selected stores nationwide, at R175 per issue. For a limited period, subscribers get considerably more: R95 per edition secures the same printed Financial Times Weekend delivered to your door, plus full digital access to the Financial Times, covering the daily (Monday to Friday) edition, the digital weekend edition, and all FT magazine content, at no extra cost.
Built for how South African businesses actually read the FT
The launch is aimed squarely at a market that has typically read FT Weekend digitally, or not at all: South African corporates, financial institutions and professional firms who want a shared, physical point of reference for senior teams and key clients. A number of local companies already provide the FT digitally as a leadership benefit. This local print launch gives them a tangible alternative: a subscription that puts the same weekend edition on a boardroom table or a client’s desk, rather than another login.
Corporates subscribing on behalf of teams or key clients receive a 45% discount off the R175 retail price, bringing the corporate rate to R95 per issue, the same rate as an individual subscriber, at no premium for a shared or bulk arrangement.
About On the Dot
On the Dot is South Africa’s largest multichannel media logistics company, providing distribution for magazines, newspapers and subscriptions through direct-to-store, home delivery and informal retail networks nationwide.
About Financial Times Weekend (FT Weekend)
FT Weekend is the weekend edition of the Financial Times, combining the FT’s global business and world news coverage with its FT Weekend Magazine, House & Home, and lifestyle sections, read by senior decision-makers worldwide.
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Author: Marilize Jacobs from VocalCord PR on behalf of On the Dot FT.
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