LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012: HTML5 enables the Financial Times to maintain a direct relationship with its customers, while also aiding it in its quest to deliver content to consumers whatever device type or platform they use, Rob Grimshaw, Managing Director of FT.com, told Mobile World Daily.

The FT has been something of a bellwether for HTML5 after launching an app using the technology, available directly through the browser and offering offline reading and automatic updates, in the middle of last year. Since the launch of the FT Web App, the company has seen more than one million visitors with “excellent engagement,” Grimshaw said. However, the launch of the HTML5 app has not seen the FT shifting away from native features completely, with an Android app launched toward the end of last year. Grimshaw said that the company is “pragmatic” about its choices with regard to HTML5 and native apps.

“Providing FT content across a range of devices provides an opportunity for us to reach new audiences in countries where we are unable to circulate the newspaper. To do so we have developed a core HTML5 code base which we are able to roll out across multiple platforms. Where necessary we combine HTML5 with native elements, a method used for the FT Android App,” he said.

“We used native elements to optimise the app for Android devices, meaning content automatically and regularly downloads in the background without the user needing to do anything. Native technology also allows us to make the most of unique [Android Honeycomb] features for the tablet app including the top taskbar navigation, giving users a true, full-screen experience,” Grimshaw continued.

Mobile was deemed an important channel for the FT, driving 15 percent of new digital subscriptions and 20 percent of FT.com traffic.