Canadian publishers may be drawing battle lines against declining domestic ad revenues and circulation but competition from across the border appears to be more optimistic about opportunities in this market.

News emerged this week that the New York Times is mapping out a plan of conquest in foreign lands. The publication is looking north (Canada) and down under (Australia) as it prepares to expand its footprint into both markets.

The plan is part of the legacy publication’s $50-million investment in global expansion, which includes an Spanish-language desk based out of Mexico City established earlier this year to service Latin American markets.

The news was broken by Politico in the U.S., and a Times spokesperson confirmed it to Media in Canada on Wednesday. Small teams have been dispatched to both markets to suss out the local publishing scene and build up editorial (and one can assume, sales) teams. It’s not clear at this point whether the newspaper will have print and digital editions in both markets or whether it is merely expanding its digital audience, which hit the one million digital-only subscriber mark in August last year. 

English-speaking, but with relatively small, digitally advanced populations, Canada and Australia are often seen as good test markets for new products (both on the publishing and ad side), signalling that they might be the first in a greater NYT foray around the world.

The New York Times‘ news follows BBC’s announcement of expansion to the Canadian market as well. The British pubcaster announced that it was opening a Canadian office earlier last month, with a staff of three.

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