Gannett Co., the largest newspaper chain in the country, is eliminating Saturday print editions for 136 of its brands beginning in early March.

A spokeswoman for the company, which is based in McLean, Virginia, said the shift is about adapting to the digital world and the demand for digital content is increasing.

“This decision better aligns our resources to maintain strong local reporting across our nationwide network, to better serve our partners and to accelerate our digital future holistically,” Gannett spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton, said. “We recognize the deep loyalty our longtime subscribers have to our daily newspapers and are committed to delivering a quality product as we execute our subscription-led business strategy.”

She added subscribers will get online Saturday access to coverage, not just in their local circulation area, but across the USA Today network.

The move is the latest example in a trend for daily papers to eliminate print on some days of the week. What makes this significant is that it’s the country’s largest newspaper chain, and the policy extends across such a broad number of papers, reports MediaPost.

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