The Independent celebrated its 25th anniversary with a commemorative edition last Friday, featuring a personal account of how the newspaper began from founding editor, Andreas Whittam Smith.
The publication contentiously ranks among its achievements as being the first to carry “regular, specialised coverage of health, education, the media or the workplace”, but it was undisputedly the first quality British newspaper to launch as a compact format in 2003. The move was derided by some but soon imitated both in the UK and overseas.
Lebedev appears to have honoured his promise of a ‘hands off’ approach since his acquisition of the paper last March and innovation has continued, most notably with the launch of its sister paper, i. Digital expansion is firmly on the cards in the immediate future, with plans to boost its website and build on its smartphone app’s 100,000 monthly downloads.
MEC Opinion: Although reaching the quarter century mark, The Independent’s circulation continues to be in fairly consistent decline, with ABC figures having fallen 2.5% since January this year. This compares to its sister title, ‘i’, which has already etched a substantial position within the marketplace, its circulation having increased by 43% since January.
Whilst the publisher has further plans in terms of new innovations, it will be interesting to see how The Independent fairs over coming months/years and whether it can manage to sustain a presence within the increasingly volatile national press marketplace
