News Corporation has axed its MX Australian free afternoon newspaper due to digital competition.
The youth-orientated paper was launched in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 2001 and designed to strengthen News Corp's dedication to the print medium.
It is handed out free to commuters at the largest rail and bus stations in the key cities, but will close on June 12, the company announced on Friday.
The publication is a "light and bright" journal, but no longer. Staff redundancies are expected, Xinhua news agency reported.
Free commuter newspapers were introduced by several international publishers, but smart phone technology and iPads have become the norm for delivery of news and made the printed paper unprofitable.
