This month has seen i, Lebedev’s succinct news digest, release its NRS (National Readership Data) for the first time. What has emerged about the quality daily paper is that it is performing well but, at the same time, not quite as anticipated…
The decision to launch a new publication into a weakening press market was a decidedly brave move. Paid-for daily press is in decline. However, Metro and Evening Standard have both seen year-on-year circulation increases (4% and 16% respectively). Evidently, there is still an appetite amongst the UK public for daily topical news content, the issue is that they are not willing to pay a high price for it. i has found the gap between the free and cheery and bulky broadsheets, targeting those who are open to paying a nominal fee (just 20p) for a concise quality newspaper to tide them over during their morning commute.
In terms of both circulation and readership, i is performing well. So well, in fact, that it’s on the verge of taking over sister title The Independent if the current month-on-month circulation increases continue (together they total more readers than The Guardian). The more interesting insight is who exactly is reading it. According to NRS data, i readers are predominantly male (55%) and about three quarters are ABC1. What has come as a surprise though is that the paper was predicted to target a younger demographic of professionals, but almost two thirds of readers are over 45. Conversely, the majority of The Indy’s readership (55%) falls below the age 45 bracket.
So what implications do these results have for clients? Currently, The Indy and i are being traded as a package, offering a wide audience and strong options for big ideas and creative solutions. As the most recent to market, i has to work harder for every advertising £. Publishing NRS data is the first step to becoming a fully recognised and reputable publication (something that other free titles have shied away from). One box ticked – what else needs to be done?
Firstly, distribution needs to be sorted. Given that Metro and ES are literally placed in the hands of readers, i would become instantly more appealing if it was more readily available to commuters. Increasing accessibility will also help tackle its major indirect competitor; commuters using smartphones as a daily morning news source. Finally, paying 20p every morning is a bit fumbly – essentially asking for payment in cash from the card generation. If payment was to become seamless (a weekly subscription card or mobile or oyster card payment maybe) then the younger demographic would be far more likely to snap it up.
i has done well so far but, all in all, it’s still just a baby in a very big and very competitive market. Ultimately it has a long way to go to become more than just a twinkle in the media eye.
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