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Forbes hopes to tap a massive new audience with automated newsbot integrated with the Telegram app

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

February 23, 2016 | 2 min read

Forbes has integrated an automated newsbot with messaging service Telegram as it experiments with new ways to deliver content to new audiences.

The bot currently pushes two news stories to readers per day although users can converse with it to deliver further tailored content on request.

With the app available across a whole host of platforms, both mobile and desktop (iOS, MacOS, Android, Linux, Windows Phone and Windows desktop) the potential for growth on the site is large – with it claiming it is snagging up 360,000 new users daily.

Bruce Upbin analysed the benefit of the move for Forbes, he said: “What newsrooms (and brands) worldwide are realizing is that the place to reach readers these days are messaging apps. Chat platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger and WeChat already reach more than two billion people worldwide, a bigger audience than the top four social networks. Time spent messaging has surpassed time spent on social networks.”

Upbin referenced the launch of Quartz’ chat-focused news app earlier this month, praising it but claiming the public is “fatigued by news apps”.

He claims the founders of Telegram reached out to the publication in order to host a newsbot on the messenger, integrating the content with a messenger boasting 100 million active users globally.

Upbin concluded: “It’s an opportunity to do a little experimenting in someone else’s (rather big) sandbox and let readers engage with our stories in a whole new way.”

The ‘Forbesbot’ went live today (Tuesday 23 February).

The top-of-the-page screengrabs were captured on the Windows Phone Telegram app.

Forbes App Telegram

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