Sydney - Britain's Daily Mail said on Wednesday it will launch an Australian edition of its website next year in a joint venture with Nine Entertainment, following in the footsteps of The Guardian.
The Mail, whose site is the world's most popular for an English-language newspaper, will base its editorial offices in Sydney and plans to recruit around 50 journalists.
“We've had Australian readers for many years now,” publisher Martin Clarke said in Sydney.
“Being able to provide them with the latest local news, alongside the stories that matter from the Daily Mail's reporters from around the globe, is extremely important to us.”
MailOnline is visited by more than 57.3 million readers a month, according to digital analytics firm comScore, which makes it the most visited English-language news website in the world.
Mark Britt, chief executive of Nine Entertainment's digital arm Mi9, said that while many industry players were cutting back their editorial resources, “we're excited to be increasing our editorial footprint online”.
He added that the two media groups aim to “create the largest digital news team in the country”.
“This will provide Australians with a richer offering of news, lifestyle and entertainment stories in the unique MailOnline style.”
Britt said Daily Mail Australia would have no paywall, in contrast to most other Australian online newspapers, which now charge for some content as they transition to digital in a bid to combat sliding print advertising and circulation revenues.
The Mail is following in the footsteps of its British rival The Guardian, which launched an Australian version in May and is also free. - Sapa-AFP