The Independent continues to redefine digital publishing, reaching 60 million monthly readers globally as the UK’s largest quality news brand and top UK-born online news brand in the US.

The past year posed exceptional challenges in digital publishing, marked by economic uncertainties, a volatile advertising market, and one of the biggest years for global elections and international crises. The Independent navigated these challenges by focusing on integrity, independence and delivering trustworthy news amidst misinformation. Covering these stories with depth and integrity, while competing against larger publishers with more resources was a challenge, and exceeding audience expectations for multimedia content was also crucial.

Independent TV became an essential platform, and the editorial team embraced the opportunities for growth and development offered by AI, while at all times upholding The Independent's core values.

Highlighting key social issues is fundamental to The Independent's editorial strategy, and the team has managed to do this while meeting the ever-important commercial demands of a digital-first strategy. Campaigns like "Brick by Brick" highlighted their commitment to social good, raising over £500,000 to build two family refuges for domestic abuse survivors. The inaugural Climate100 List reinforced The Independent’s dedication to giving a voice to global changemakers.

By combining quality journalism with strategic innovation, The Independent maintained its position as the UK’s largest quality news brand but also strengthened its reputation as a progressive, resilient digital publisher.

The Independent pursued a strategic plan focused on innovation, audience engagement and revenue diversification. This was demonstrated through:

• Data driven innovation: Investing in audience segmentation research through the Modern Progressive project, which redefined audience engagement based on values rather than political alignment.
• Multimedia expansion: Independent TV achieved record viewership, with more than 1 billion on-site views. Formats like ‘Decomplicated’ and ‘Debunked’ resonated with younger audiences. Documentaries such as The A-Word and Cancelled showcased production capabilities, while exclusive interviews with Tony Blair and PM Keir Starmer highlighted authority and appeal to major political voices.
• Impactful campaigns:
• ‘Brick by Brick’ with Refuge raised more than £500,000 - building two homes for domestic abuse survivors, showcasing the power of community while raising awareness of the blight of domestic abuse
• Continued Pride in London partnership and ‘The Pride List’ celebrated extraordinary LGBT+ changemakers, coupled with an exhibition of The Independent’s long history of LGBT+ reporting at Outernet London
• For Black History Month – an experiential activation, 'Black History in Focus', in partnership with Outernet London showcased photographs from The Independent’s extensive archive, some of them publicly displayed for the first time
• Tackling EV misconceptions head-on, The Independent and E.ON Next launched the UK’s first dedicated editorial EV Channel, blending credible journalism with myth-busting content
• Climate100 celebrated individuals and organisations striving to combat climate change. Honourees were celebrated at a premiere event in New York during the UN Summit of the Future.
• Talent investment: Building a culture of innovation, they nurtured rising stars and talent like Reka Varga, whose work in revenue data-integration and strategic forecasting enhanced commercial decision making, as well as Health Correspondent Rebecca Thomas, who single handedly prompted an independent review of the nursing regulator, and, finally, Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew, who delivered a powerful documentary on abortion in the U.S, The A-Word.

The strategic approach in 2024 delivered remarkable results.

Comscore data at the end of the year highlighted how The Independent has maintained its strong position as the largest British-founded online publisher in the US, and ranked it fifth out of all publications. Audience growth remained robust, supported by the success of Independent TV and data-led content initiatives, and premium subscriber growth hit 63%.

Research with Modern Progressive revealed The Independent’s readers feel a deeper connection to the brand’s values than audiences of any other UK newsbrand. Campaigns like ‘Brick by Brick’ demonstrated how The Independent can not only make a tangible social impact but also reinforced audience loyalty.

Overall, the Independent’s ad business grew by a massive, market beating 15% YOY in 2024. This growth was powered by their partnerships and commercial content business - Independent Ignite - which grew by 26% YOY.

Their continuing pivot to a direct sales business meant that whilst their automated, audience related revenue lines (OMP & Taboola) showed growth of 6% YOY, their direct sales business delivered an incredible 27% growth YOY.

These results highlight The Independent’s ability to balance commercial success with impactful journalism, solidifying its reputation as a resilient and forward-thinking digital publisher.

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