i newspaper turns 10 after a decade of continued success

LONDON, Oct. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The i newspaper celebrates its tenth birthday today (26 October) after a decade of remarkable growth – a success story during a challenging time for the industry. 

Launched in 2010 with a staff of just three, i has confounded critics who predicted it would fail. It is the youngest daily paid-for newspaper - followed by the Daily Star which was launched 32 years earlier in 1978 - but now accounts for one in every five quality papers sold each day in the UK.

i is the fastest growing national news publisher, with 8.7 million readers across print and inews.co.uk (PAMCo). i now employs 87 people, following investment in reporting, columnists and investigations, with more hires planned. 

This year, i was named Newspaper of the Year by the London Press Club and inews.co.uk won News Website of the Year at The Drum Online Media Awards. 

Oliver Duff has been Editor-in-chief of i since 2013 and has overseen its journey of continued growth. "Our talented journalists and commercial team have defied sceptics to create a new, sustainable model for quality media in the UK. We are immensely grateful to i's readers for backing an outsider. Hearing from hundreds of them every day is a pleasure." 

Research by industry auditor PAMCo found that i has become the most trusted UK national print newsbrand, key to the title's popularity. 

"i readers trust our reporting. They tell us that they want fair coverage without bias or spin. When political debate is so polarised and social media has been weaponised in a war on facts, people value quality journalism. The demand for honest, accurate reporting is high and that's reflected in the loyalty of i's readers." 

i was launched to fill a gap in the market for balanced and concise reporting for smart, busy people who value their time. The challenge was to create a unique product of the internet age, influenced by modern news consumption habits and information overload. The concept of an "essential briefing" has been translated to a popular iweekend edition (circulation 202,000, September 2020 ABC, +4.6% month-on-month), website inews.co.uk, two app editions and newsletter bulletins. 

Those early readers included Noel Gallagher, who summed up the appeal succinctly: "It's a top idea to have a paper for clever people who can't be arsed to spend hours reading every day." 

Writing in i today, launch editor Simon Kelner reflects: "When i was born, we didn't know what a selfie was, Instagram was only three weeks old, and Twitter was not the omnipotent force it is today. From day one, our readers were invited to take a proprietorial interest in the paper by telling us what they liked and what they didn't. They helped us to shape the newspaper." He adds that i editors' relationship with readers is "deeper and stronger and more symbiotic than any I have encountered in 37 years in this industry."

Innovations that are now i trademarks include the distinctive "matrix" digest of news, opinion and culture. 

i's readership is notable for its regional diversity, with 85% of readers based outside London, compared with the UK national newspaper average of 68%. 

Readership across i products (digital and print) increased by 54% during 2019. A new app, "inews UK", offers three bulletins every day containing reports, analysis and exclusives. To attract the next generation of readers, a new type of membership has been introduced for students, allowing them to subscribe for free to the app.