In a strange new deal, the Sun-Times Media Group Inc. announced Wednesday that one of its biggest competitors, the Chicago Tribune, will deliver its flagship newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times, and 10 other suburban Chicago papers owned by the newspaper publisher.

Although the Sun-Times will continue selling single copies of the tabloid-style newspaper in Chicago, the Tribune will deliver both home subscriptions of Sun-Times publications and single copies of the newspaper in the city's suburbs.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Tribune spokesman Michael Dizon said the new distribution will begin soon, and be phased through the fourth quarter, according to an Associated Press article.

The deal will save the Sun-Times $5 million each year and help improve customer service, said Cyrus Freidheim Jr., president and chief executive.

Although the deal is unique, it is an effective way for the Sun-Times to lower expensive delivery costs in outlying areas, newspaper analyst John Morton told the AP.

“It's probably cheaper for them to hire the Tribune to do it even though they have to pay a profit margin to do it,” he is quoted as saying in the article.

Owned by Tribune Co., the Chicago Tribune currently distributes about 12 newspapers in the Chicago area, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.