Arkansas newspaper gambles on free iPads

The largest newspaper in the US state of Arkansas will move away from print and give its subscribers free iPads to encourage them to switch to its digital form.

Arkansas' main newspaper is moving to a digital form and is wooing its subscribers with free iPads. (AAP)

The publisher of the largest newspaper in Arkansas has said by the end of the year, the publication will no longer print or deliver daily editions and will instead distribute iPads for subscribers to access a daily digital replica.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will still print a Sunday edition but will urge subscribers to convert to the daily digital replica, accessible via the newspaper's app.

The newspaper's publisher, Walter Hussman, has said that if 70 per cent of subscribers convert to the digital version, the paper will be profitable for the first time since 2017.

Some subscribers who converted say they prefer the digital paper, which can be enlarged and which is easily transportable.

But it remains to be seen if the program will also appeal to younger generations.