DAG (English: Day) was a freely distributed Dutch-language tabloid newspaper in the Netherlands. The paper was released jointly by publishing company PCM and telecommunications company KPN. Its last issue was released on October 1, 2008, but the associated website DAG.nl continues to be maintained.
In February 2007, plans were revealed in the media about a new free newspaper which would be part of a "cross-medial platform", providing people with news using a combination of papers, the internet, and mobile phones.[1][2] The first edition of DAG was published on May 8, 2007 with a circulation of 300.000 copies, accompanied with the launch of the website. It competed with long-time free newspapers Metro and Sp!ts, as well as De Pers which had started on January 23 that year.[3] The paper and the website were noted for its clear layout, its extensive use of images, and much attention for reactions of the general public.[4] It was reported that in the one and a half year that followed, a maximum of 20 million euro would be invested.[3] In June, circulation was raised to 400.000, and a Saturday magazine edition and an experimental delivery service were launched.[5]
On September 29, 2008, PCM and KPN announced that the newspaper would cease to exist, with the last issue being released on October 1. The reason was that the direction of DAG had failed to bind enough advertisers, mainly because of the fierce competition of the other free newspapers. The worsening global financial situation around that time also made it more likely that companies would save money on advertisement and sponsoring. The digital activities of DAG (online, mobile, and narrowcasting) were continued by PCM without support of KPN.[6][7]