A 12-page 'GameOn!' supplement with in-depth interviews, news and previews is now published on Saturdays focused largely at fans from Hull's three pro sports clubs, Hull City, Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers.
At the same time the sports department is now producing a 12-page junior sports supplement 'HotShots' on a Wednesday, expanding on the popular daily coverage which was carried previously.
A busy January also saw the launch of a new 'Property Guide' after a major redesign of the existing FindaProperty platform and the launch of a daily Business page to complement a weekly Business supplement. Feedback on all the new and refreshed platforms has been extremely positive, says Northcliffe Media.
The HDM and its East Riding edition now carry eight supplements a week; Monday – Match; Tuesday – Femail; Wednesday – The Business and Hotshots; Thursday – Property Guide; Friday – Motors; Saturday – GameOn! and The Guide.
The sales team have also been successful in securing sponsors for the new and existing supplements, generating additional revenue for the business.
The new and relaunched platforms were also supported by a very successful promotion to win a £100 a day through January which attracted 8,000 reader entries. Pagination has also been increased across the week to improve value for money for the readers.
All the hard work in January helped contribute significantly to very encouraging sales figures which show a marked circulation improvement on previous months, claim the publishers.
Editor Neil Hodgkinson said: "It has been a busy few weeks but there is no point in hanging around when you're fighting for every sale. Editorial, advertising and newspaper sales departments have worked together on these projects and deserve praise for pushing through the changes and bringing in the sponsorship. The paper is now much better value for money and so far the changes appear to have been well received. Time will tell."
