The i is a British newspaper owned and published by Johnston Press, which also publishes the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman. It is aimed at "readers and lapsed readers" of all ages and commuters with limited time, and was launched on 26 October 2010, costing 20 pence. The i was launched as a sister paper to The Independent (with which it shared some content), but was bought by Johnson Press in February 2016 when The Independent moved to digital-only publication.
In March 2014 it had an average daily circulation of 292,801, significantly more than The Independent but a drop of nearly 10,000 compared to the same month the previous year which was 302,757. The circulation has continued to drop, falling to 264,067 in December 2016, before slightly rebounding to 265,949 in September 2017 .
History
A press statement released on the website of The Independent on 19 October 2010 announced the launch of the i. Also in October, Independent Print Limited launched an advertising campaign to promote the new publication. The first issue of the i went on sale on 26 October 2010, along with a new-look version of The Independent.
Starting on 7 May 2011 a Saturday edition was published, with more pages and at the price of 30p. This increased to 40p in January 2014, with the weekday edition rising to 30p. In September 2016 the price was raised to 60p, with the weekday edition rising to 50p. At the start of September 2017, the price rose once again, to 60p for the weekday edition and 80p for the relaunched i weekend later beginning later that month. The paper cited the rising cost of materials needed to print the paper and the increasingly difficult environment which print journalism finds itself in.
The i was named National Newspaper of the Year in 2015.
On 11 February 2016 it was revealed that regional publisher Johnston Press, owners of the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman, were in the advanced stages of talks to buy the i for around £24 million. A "significant number" of staff joined the team from The Independent. The new editorial team was announced in April 2016.
On 30 September 2017, a new, redesigned, version of the weekend edition of the i went on sale, costing 80p. This relaunch of the weekend paper saw circulation rise by around 30,000, to around 290,000 of the first edition of the redesigned paper being sold.
In December 2017, the owners of the i, Johnston Press, announced that the newspaper was bringing in a monthly profit of around £1 million. They stated that this was the result of: "Johnston Press management’s strategy of investing in improved content under editor Olly Duff’s clear leadership, increased brand awareness, distribution, and advertiser solutions, while delivering efficiencies.” A 1 February 2018 trading update from parent company Johnston Press stated that the paper held a 20% market share of the 'Quality' weekday market.
The i website, inews.co.uk, is reported to attract around 2 million unique viewers every month.
Format
The i is tabloid-size and stapled, and the first issue contained 56 pages. The Friday edition of the paper, which contains the "Friday" section has a slightly increased page count, at around 65. The weekend version of the paper is significantly larger than the weekday version, containing 87 pages. The i prides itself on having no supplements, something common in many other quality British newspapers, saying they want to give readers the best experience without supplements that "clog up" recycling bins. The newspaper contains "matrices" for news, business and sports—small paragraphs of information which are expanded upon in full articles further on in the paper. The title also includes a features section titled iQ, Arts and Business sections and a television guide. The managing director of The Independent stated several days before the newspaper went into print that the publication is designed for people who do not have much time to read a newspaper. On 20 April 2011, editor Simon Kelner announced that a Saturday edition of the i would be published, starting from 7 May 2011 and costing 30 pence, 10 pence more than the weekday version. The paper is now 60p on weekdays and 80p on the weekend, running Monday to Saturday (although the Saturday edition is also sold on Sunday).
The paper now runs a subscription, whereby customers can buy pre-paid vouchers to exchange for their copy of the paper. The subscription can be either six months or a year long and can be chosen Monday to Friday or including Saturday. There is also a discounted student subscription that lasts for one academic year.
Political stance
The i takes a political stance on the centre of the political spectrum, with many front page headline articles being concerned with social issues and inequality - but it also prides itself on its balance, publishing points of view from both left and right.
Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, a centrist party, is a fortnightly columnist for the i. His column usually features in the "My View" comment section of the paper.
During an interview for the i in December 2017, Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn declared himself to be a dedicated reader of the i, saying that its compact size and concise articles suited his busy lifestyle as Leader of the Opposition.
During the referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, held in June 2016, the paper chose not to declare for either "leave" or "remain", unlike a majority of other British newspapers who came out for either side of the debate.
In the 2017 UK general election the i chose not to endorse a political party.
Editors
2010: Simon Kelner
2011: Stefano Hatfield
2013: Oliver Duff
