The Hollywood Reporter has revamped its iPad application with new editorial and advertising features that encourage users to read the weekly digital version on their devices.

The Hollywood Reporter iPad app initially launched in 2010. The magazine has been active in mobile this year and claims that more than 25 percent of traffic comes through mobile devices.

?The Hollywood Reporter launched its first iPad app in late 2010 as part of our overall brand re-launch,? said John Marchesini, director of product development for The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles.

?This app was delivered at the dawn of the iPad, before Apple had launched its Newsstand product. In addition, Apple's in-app subscription policies for publications were still evolving at the time. Times have changed, and it was time for The Hollywood Reporter to catch-up,? he said.

?Because people desire the print magazine so immediately each week no matter where they are in the world, we understood the need to deliver a subscription-based tablet edition that captured the aesthetic and quality of the print product. With its retina display, the iPad is the ideal platform to the multimedia elements of the magazine.?

Mobile entertainment
The new iPad app now includes all of the content from the print magazine in addition to app-specific features.

The digital editions are updated every Thursday, which is the same day that the print version comes out each week.

Examples of app-only features include exclusive videos, photos and one-click responses that readers can use to contact reporters.

When users open the app, they are prompted to either use their account information from their print subscription or sign up for a digital subscription.

There is also an instructional page that shows users how to swipe through the issue.

The app is locked into a vertical position. Articles can then be read by swiping up and down or across to flip pages.

A one-month subscription is $12.99 and a one-year subscription is $99.99.

The app is available for free through Jan. 9 ? the magazine?s Golden Globes preview issue.

For advertisers, the goal of the iPad app is to make static ads more interactive. Print advertisers who run one-third page ads or larger will have their ads automatically appear in the iPad app.

For example, a current ad in the Dec. 28 edition of the iPad magazine for Universal Pictures' upcoming film ?Les Miserables? encourages users to tap on the page to buy pre-sale tickets.

Tablets in particular have been a mobile platform that publishers have been eager to develop for with a larger screen size.

However, many tablet apps look identical to the print version and do not give users an incentive to interact with content.

By spilling advertising content from the print to the iPad version, advertisers in the Hollywood Reporter are encouraged to add digital elements to their campaigns.

Mobile past
The Hollywood Reporter has been building up its mobile presence over the past year.

In May, the magazine rolled out an app to keep entertainment fans up to date on news from the Cannes Film Festival (see story).

Then in September, the magazine rolled out the Festivals mobile app on iPhone and iPad devices. Through the app, consumers could browse coverage that centers around the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival (see story).

?We?ll continue to update and upgrade all our mobile of offerings, and are committed to developing multi-platform offerings for all of our new and existing mobile apps,? Mr. Marchesini said.

?We?ll be expanding the platforms for our existing apps onto other platforms,? he said.

?We?re exploring ways to bring a second screen-experience to the key entertainment events we cover throughout the year. Currently, The Hollywood Reporter on the iPad only provides access to the weekly magazine. We also want to provide our readers the opportunity to read The Hollywood Reporter?s Daily Edition, Special Issues and Festival Dailies and are working to achieve this in 2013.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York