"Our agreement to have exclusive offerings from The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and a variety of other exclusive Dow Jones information available wirelessly on the Reader Daily Edition underscores our belief in the critical value of unique content -- especially news and information -- and the devices that can deliver it with ease and integrity to users everywhere," said Sir Howard Stringer, chairman, CEO and president of Sony.

The Publisher's Motive

The new content will soon appear on Sony's newly branded Reader Store. Under the agreements, Sony's Reader Daily Edition will be the premier digital reading device for The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. The publishers will jointly market the devices with Sony.

"Whether it be displayed on an excellent digital reader or a web site or in print, there is no doubt that Journal journalism is preeminent," said Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Company and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. "Readers around the world recognize the worth of that content and they are prepared to pay for it."

With a $14.99-a-month Wall Street Journal subscription, each edition will be delivered wirelessly to the Reader Daily Edition. Exclusive offerings for the Reader Store include The Wall Street Journal PLUS, a comprehensive update of the day's world and business events after the close of the markets.

Offering the day's most important feature stories an analysis from MarketWatch.com, a MarketWatch Today subscription is only available at the Reader Store for $10.99 a month. New York Post readers can get news, gossip and sports reporting on their Reader for $9.99 a month.

E-Reader War II

The e-book reader wars have now extended beyond hardware to include which brand offers the strongest content. As Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, sees it, the best e-reader in the world is no better than a doorstop without a significant content offering.

"There is going to be a race to see if people can sign up exclusive deals for content people want to read on their devices, because ultimately that's what matters," Gartenberg said. "It's really not about quantity, it's about quantity and quality. It's about having a very deep and wide catalog of content people are looking for. The more exclusives these companies can sign up, the more chance that their marketplace and ecosystem will become the center of gravity."

Publishers signing exclusives with e-reader manufacturers are taking a calculated risk on the manufacturer. But Gartenberg said the market is looking at the iTunes Store model: Having a wide selection that includes a blend of coveted content and exclusive content wins the race.

"E-reader devices are not going to be created equal because the marketplaces associated with them are not going to be created equal," Gartenberg said. "Where the content flows ultimately determines which devices consumers purchase."