View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
April 20, 2011

Independent’s i to launch Saturday edition

By Dominic wireposts

The Independent’s cut-price stablemate i is set to launch on Saturdays from 7 May.

Editor in chief Simon Kelner said in his editor’s letter today that he has “lost count” of the number of readers who have asked for a Saturday edition of the title.

Describing how it will be different from the Monday to Friday edition he said: “Well, all the things you like about our weekday edition – plus the letter from the editor – will be there. But, in addition, there will be plenty more in your complete, concise companion to the weekend.

“A special section of the paper we’re calling ‘Leisure and Pleasure’ will focus on just that, everything from food to travel, gardening to fashion, opera to style. There’ll be more sport, more interviews, a weekend TV guide and advice on personal finance from our experts. All done, of course, with the accent on i’s trademark quality and brevity.

“There will be extra games and diversions (including the codeword puzzle you’ve been asking for), and all this, in one fun-packed section of 64 pages, will cost just 30p. What value!”

The Independent’s slimmed-down 20p edition launched in October with the stated aim of appealing to people who no longer buy newspapers. And anecdotally it seems to succeeded at that,  while not being so successful that a rival publisher has yet felt it necessary to bring out a spoiler publication.

Sales of i in March were slightly down month-on-month at 171,415.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Meanwhile, the main Independent is turning into a part-free, part paid-for hybrid as its ABC certificate shows. Out if its headline 181,934 ABC figure – some 73,810 copies were bulk give-aways.

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network