Competition in the newspaper industry is set to intensify on Monday when the Daily Mail publishes a new Irish edition. An advertising campaign to support the title is scheduled to air on television this evening.
Daily Mail Ireland is expected to be priced at 75 cent, although as part of a promotional campaign thousands of free and discounted copies will be distributed over the next few weeks.
The paper will be printed at the News International/Smurfit plant in Kells, Co Meath. A print run in excess of 100,000 has been ordered by Associated Newspapers, the publishers.
A spokesman for Associated Newspapers said yesterday that staff were still working on dummy pages and a launch was "imminent". However, sources confirmed the paper would hit the streets on Monday.
A number of journalists and commentators have agreed to write for the paper, including former editor of the Irish Catholic David Quinn and economist Moore McDowell. Staff from the UK are also helping to launch the paper, and Martin Clarke, former editor-in-chief of Ireland on Sunday, has been involved.
The decision to price the paper towards the lower end of the market is aimed at putting Independent News and Media under some pressure.
Its biggest-selling title, the Irish Independent, retails at €1.60, as does the Irish Examiner. Associated Newspapers believes the price difference could prove crucial in stealing market share from the Irish Independent. Other titles owned or partly owned by Independent News and Media, such as the Star and the Evening Herald, could also face pressure.
The paper is expected to place a heavy emphasis on sport and news and will also have political coverage. It will contain a significant amount from its UK edition.
The Daily Mail is already selling 9,262 copies in the Republic, and it hopes to bring this to at least 40,000 in the first few months of its existence.
This will be Associated Newspapers' third product launch in Ireland. Last year it took a substantial stake in the freesheet paper Metro, along with the Irish Times and Swedish company Metro International. It also owns Ireland on Sunday.