Gustav Goosen and Andreij Horn 24.com
The News24 Edge app came out tops in two categories: Best News Mobile Service and Best Innovation/New Product. This comes hot on the heels of News24 Edge being crowned joint best app in the world in October at the World Digital Media Awards in Berlin – a win that placed South African digital media on the global stage. The W24 site won the award for Best in Lifestyle, Sports or Entertainment Website. 24.com also took several runner-up awards including W24 for Best in Lifestyle, Sports or Entertainment Mobile Services; Netwerk24 in the Best News Website category and News24’s Project Rise for Best Innovation to Engage Youth Audiences.
"News24 is a long-established premium online news source", said the WAN-IFRA judging panel, adding that News24 Edge seeks to up the ante with increased personalisation, artificial intelligence and user interaction. "That, combined with 'ease of use and intuitiveness', clearly impressed the judges." News24 Edge's win in the new product category was summed up by one judge as "strong news content married to an excellent app".
Andreij Horn, Head of 24.com, says recognition from WAN-IFRA is always gratifying. “The organisation spans borders, which means our efforts have to measure up to the best this continent has to offer. The fact that News24 Edge received two of the 10 awards on offer is particularly pleasing.”
With regards to W24, the WAN-IFRA statement said: "Of all the positive comments from the judges, the word 'fresh' came up repeatedly for W24 which is exactly what's needed from a site appealing to 'millennial women with a flair for fashion and a passion for all things lifestyle'. Easy, natural navigation and engaging content saw the site score strongly with the panel."
“24.com has long recognised that the way people consume news will change and evolve radically. As leading digital publishers, they have remained one step ahead of the needs of the consumers. This forward-facing strategy has enabled them to develop world class products driven by technology and has spear-headed their growth into the largest online publisher in South Africa,” says Gustav Goosen, Head of The SpaceStation (the digital media sales arm of 24.com). “These significant acknowledgements from WAN-IFRA show that we continue to produce innovative industry front-runners. These innovations allow us to offer remarkable campaign solutions to our clients,” he adds.
