August 17 , 2010

Torstar Digital, Rogers Media join forces

Invest in TOPS internet solution

Torstar Digital and Rogers Media announced a technology joint venture to invest in TOPS, a leading edge, high volume content management system for internet media publishers.

The Total Online Publishing Solutions system (TOPS) offers end-to-end solutions for web and mobile media publishers. Established in 2005, TOPS allows publishers to quickly and inexpensively develop and manage digital properties with large amounts of content and high traffic volumes. Its flexible data architecture allows diverse properties to create customized asset types for any content they want to present – including articles, locations, events, businesses, reviews, comments, identities and other information.

The Rogers Media investment creates an equal partnership with Torstar Digital in managing and developing TOPS, under a joint board and services provided by Torstar Digital under a management services agreement.

“We have been working with the TOPS platform for a year to great success. It’s an outstanding set of solutions for our digital properties,” said Claude Galipeau, SVP & GM, Digital Media, Rogers Media. “Citytv.com launched on TOPS last fall, as well as Flare.com and our all news radio sites, including 680News.com. TOPS has vastly improved the publishing power of our journalists and editors, our search engine performance, and our speed to market. This investment allows Rogers to co-develop a best-of-breed content management platform, and accelerate its adoption for our brands.”

TOPS has been running thestar.com, one of Canada’s leading newspaper sites, for over four years and Toronto.com, one of Canada’s leading city guide sites, for nearly five years. TOPS also runs the sites of Metroland Media Group’s news sites and Metro News of Canada (metronews.ca and journalmetro.ca).

“Our value proposition to publishers is that we can build the site you want quickly and then operate, maintain and improve it for you, with world-class features at very low expense,” said Danny Galic, CTO and General Manager of TOPS. “We offer TOPS as a service which means you don’t have to buy software, hardware or hire any technologists. The publisher provides the idea for the site and we do all the building and maintenance. Publishers who use TOPS really appreciate the freedom from having to understand technology and hire technologists to realize their publishing visions. They also appreciate the sharing of costs on one infrastructure with other publishers using the platform.”

“We have been delighted with the TOPS platform and are thrilled that Rogers Media shares our vision for continued investment and growth in it,” said Tomer Strolight, President of Torstar Digital. “Our commitment to having world-class technology that allows publishers to innovate and compete effectively has been core to our strategy and working with Rogers Media will advance that goal for both us and them.”