View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
October 19, 2010

Launch of new UK daily newspaper ‘i’ fails to merit mention in rival titles

By Dominic wireposts

It’s being billed as the first new “quality” newspaper launch in the UK since the Independent 24 years ago.

But the Independent’s new 20p a day spin-off ‘i’ failed to merit a mention in the print editions of any of the rival UK nationals yesterday. It not surprisingly made page-two leads for The Independent today, and the Evening Standard yesterday.

Contrast this with the more widespread coverage which Neil Collins’ fairly minor breach of the Reuters’s share-dealing rules merited today.

As this UK-centric Google News search shows), only the FT and the Guardian have written about ‘i’ and then only online (CORRECTION, the FT did also cover it in print on page 21).

The £1cover prices of The Times, Guardian and Telegraph are already massacring their circulation figures, which are currently down anything from 10 to 17 per cent year on year.

A new cut-price competitor is almost the last thing they need, not quite as bad as the Independent going free. The wall of silence, so far, is as good a sign as any that they see ‘i’ as a serious potential threat.

If there is one thing new print launches need it is masses of marketing, and Alexander Lebedev’s competitors look determined to make sure that they don’t give him any free publicity.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network