With the raging battle in the print media and drop in circulation, four newspapers are planning to give out Samsung or Huawei tablets to boost their subscription sales.

The four-member media alliance is The Malay Mail, Oriental Daily, Sinar Harian and Makkal Osai.

Malay Mail eventLast week, Nielsen Media Index in its latest survey indicated a circulation drop ranging from 10 to 40 percent among the country’s leading mainstream newspapers.

The reduction was attributed to the backlash from the 13th general election as a result of lopsided news reports in the run up to the GE in May.

Redberry Group Commercial director Rajjish Verronn said the media alliance is finalising plans to push up its sales and make an attractive offer that’s hard to refuse.

“We are in the process of working out costs, the brand of tablet, studying the readership market and improving the quality of the content to attract our readers,” he told Malaysiakini at the launch of The Malay Mail’s 200,000 copies of the weekend edition in the Klang Valley yesterday.

Malay Mail eventA total of 200,000 copies, Verronn said, will be distributed free every Friday with a bumper Weekly Runner that is packed with one week’s content on community happenings, arts and culture, entertainment, motoring, sports, health and wellness.

The Weekly Runner was launched outside Lot 10 at noon with zombies, pajama girls and conjoined twins to engage the public's curiosity.

The Malay Mail has not finalised its annual subscription price for the tablet offer. However, it is expected to offer the newspaper for an estimated RM230 package for a year's subscription along with a free tablet each.

The tablet is expected to be funded by increased advertisers from government agencies and government-linked companies.