The International Herald Tribune (IHT) will today launch a dedicated Middle East section produced in conjunction with the news agency Reuters. The four-page section called Middle East with Reuters, published on Thursdays, will be printed with the IHT and distributed in Egypt, Turkey and across the Gulf. The Middle East edition of the IHT is printed in Kuwait City, Doha, Cairo, Dubai and Istanbul.
Christoph Pleitgen, the global head of client operations for media at Reuters, said the deal marked an "extension of the existing news agency agreement" with the IHT.
"We are happy to extend that partnership into a region that is of immense importance to us," said Mr Pleitgen. Reuters, like most news agencies, produces content that is republished in various media outlets across the globe. But the deal with the IHT marks what Mr Pleitgen said was deviation "from the standard news agency model", with the two media companies working together "at the story-creation stage".
"Some of [the content] may be produced exclusively at the request of the International Herald Tribune," he added. The news agency currently produces a section called Business with Reuters for the IHT, while its journalists appear on air through content agreements with TV companies in India and China. Mr Pleitgen said Reuters was open to similar content deals with other media companies in an attempt to "make [our] network of journalists work harder".
Other changes to the news agency business include a service through which media companies could syndicate their content to other publishers. "We're working towards our customers to have the opportunity to syndicate their content ... it's something that will be available later in the year," said Mr Pleitgen. He said the syndication service would initially be focused on North America but would be rolled out in the Middle East next year.
