“The Onion,” the satirical website that pokes fun at current events, has struck a deal with the Toronto Star, the city’s largest newspaper, to bring the printed version of the site to Canada, making this “The Onion’s” first international move.
It is already available in its print version in 14 American cities including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The satirical newspaper “The Onion” was founded in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin and was originally a weekly humour print publication that targeted the local student population. Today “The Onion” is a booming news organization that has expanded over the years and now averages 40 million page views and roughly 7.5 million unique visitors per month. The brand is associated with successful ventures in print, broadcast, radio, mobile apps, books, and, in January 2011, two new television shows on the Independent Film Channel and Comedy Central. The website continues to be the nucleus of all “The Onion” does, and was described by “TIME” magazine as “the funniest site on the Internet.”
The Toronto print version of “The Onion” will be a free paper that will also include pop culture content from The A.V. Club (another similar website) as well as contain local news stories.
“[Toronto] has long been one of the top 10 cities for The Onion’s online audience. I think it’s the perfect place for The Onion and A.V. Club to make their first foray outside the United States,” said Onion, Inc., president Steve Hannah to The Canadian Press. “Toronto has a tradition of great comedy as well as being a really smart, cosmopolitan city that has a natural audience for our pop culture coverage as well.”
