The Independent is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a digital only publisher, with record growth, enormous traffic reach and sustained profitability.
It made history when it went digital in 2016, closing its print edition, leading the newspaper market with the only pure play publication, marking it out as a digital pioneer in international journalism. To date, The Independent is the only newspaper business to successfully transform from print to digital anywhere in the world.
The growth in audience and reputation has been meteoric. At peak moments it has been the media company with the highest audience figures in the UK, with the exception of the BBC, which has a £4 billion tax payer funded budget.
Since its final print edition in March 2016, The Independent has built an international, commercially resilient and diversified media business, underpinned by sustained revenue growth, profitability and continued investment in journalism, technology and new products. Instead of just one paper edition, it now has eight different editions including a UK, US, Asian, Spanish, Turkish, Persian, Urdu and Arab edition.
Some standout statistics for the digital Independent which has only ever made a profit since going fully digital:
Through e-commerce with IndyBest and Vouchers, The Independent has driven 85 million clicks to retail partners since 2018, generating 4.25 million sales and delivering £721 million in total order value.
In 2025 alone, this translated into £2.9 million in revenue, up more than fourfold since launch.
The continued investment has led to new products and formats. it is now leading branded content and creative business, Independent Studio develops and produces talent-led content across video, podcasts and newsletters, including ACFC, our football analysis channel, TravelSmart, our cutting edge political politics podcast In The Room, and our health channel Well Enough.
Its invention continues as the company embraces change and new technology. Bulletin, The Independent’s AI-enabled news service, built with Google’s Gemini technology, is opening new ways for audiences to engage with trusted journalism. Since launching in April 2025, Bulletin has generated millions in revenue by offering “human-verified AI” summaries based on The Independent’s own reporting, with human editors in full control.
Christian Broughton, Chief Executive of The Independent, said: “Becoming fully digital was not only a defining moment for the business but a marker of The Independent’s commitment to the future of quality journalism. Ten years on, we’ve grown our audiences and our revenue, innovated continually, and built a commercially resilient organisation without compromising our editorial independence. Our digital revenues today are greater than the print revenues of The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, and The i Paper combined in 2015-2016. We now enter the next decade with an emboldened commitment to technology, innovation, and journalism of the highest quality.”
Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief, added: “The Independent has always been a pioneer. It broke the mould with its print newspaper disrupting the market back in1986 and then did it again in 2016 by going digital only. By boldly being first to go when no one else dared it was not only brave but prescient – today almost no one under 40 buys print. We saw and created our future. Luckily fortune did favour the brave, and so we have reaped the rewards of being ahead in the industry. Always our capacity to embrace change has been forged alongside our unshakable belief that whatever technology we embrace it must power quality journalism.”
John Paton, Chairman, remarked: “The next decade will be defined by how media companies use technology to strengthen trust, deepen audience relationships, and build sustainable business models. The Independent is well-positioned to lead in that space. We will continue to invest in journalism, technology, and talent to strengthen our global position, deepen audience relationships, and build new products that reflect how people consume news and content today.”
[1,2] Source: Ipsos, Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service, November 2024, Brand Group – Digital Quality News Brands* and *Pureplays, all adults age 15+, UK *Note: Custom defined list by Independent. The Independent Brand Group audience includes Indy 100 data
