Leading app with millions of users
With millions of monthly users, the app is one of the most used media apps in the Netherlands. Pinch has been building mobile applications for De Telegraaf since 2011 – in close collaboration with the newspaper’s own developers. Recently, the app has also been used as a white-label app for several Dutch and Belgian regional newspapers.
With millions of monthly users, De Telegraaf’s app is one of the most used media apps in the Netherlands. Pinch has been building mobile applications for De Telegraaf since 2011 – in close collaboration with the newspaper’s own developers. Recently, the app has also been used as a white-label app for several Dutch and Belgian regional newspapers.
The history: connected since 2011
De Telegraaf and Pinch have been working together since 2011. Pinch started by creating a news app and a newspaper app for the iPad. Those applications were so well received by users that Pinch was asked to also develop for smartphones. Initially only for iOS. Later, when we hired Android developers, also for Android.
The changes: from newspaper-and-news-in-one to podcasts
Over time, we have made several major changes to the apps. For example, around 2021, the app received a major rebuild where the application was completely rebuilt. Also important was the integration of the newspaper reading function and the newsfeed.
The changed business model has had a significant impact on app development. Whereas previously the focus was on reaching a large audience with many advertisements, there has been a shift towards more premium content. This presented a great challenge: how do you present premium content in such a way that you maximize the conversion of free users to paying users?
Finally, over the years, many functionalities have been added, such as the podcast player.
The challenge: performance
The app has a huge reach: hundreds of thousands of people use the app daily. Naturally, this is great, but it also presents challenges. For instance, it required considerable thought and effort to optimize the backend performance-wise. Speed is super important in a news app: opening an article should only take a few milliseconds.
The same requirement also applies to push notifications, which De Telegraaf sends to millions of devices. Within a few seconds, every user must receive a notification and be able to read it.
Another significant challenge was in advertising. Both in the digital newspaper and the newsfeed, many advertisements are displayed, while advertising SDKs consume a lot of data, thus being detrimental to loading times. It took a lot of time to optimize all these performance issues.
The collaboration: varying in composition, but always close-knit
It is noteworthy that De Telegraaf has always had its own developers, who form one team with those from Pinch. Within this close collaboration, continuous development occurs, with ongoing sprints and daily stand-ups.
Pinch has always supported De Telegraaf in various areas. The focus was on development, but Pinch has also assisted in concept development and design.
The result: super-fast app with millions of users
It is a particularly complete media app that is unique in terms of performance and meets all the expectations of users. This is reflected in the user numbers: the app is used by millions of people each month. More than 60 percent of the total reach is attributable to the app, and the paid part of the app (Telegraaf Premium) makes a significant contribution to De Telegraaf’s digital revenue.
The sequel: same app, in the guise of regional newspapers
Due to the success of the app, Mediahuis has asked Pinch to make a white-label app for regional newspapers. The white-label application is technically identical to that of De Telegraaf, but is used for several Dutch and Belgian regional newspapers.
