View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Report: Guardian considering move to tabloid format and out-sourcing of printing to rival publisher

By Dominic Ponsford

The Guardian is reported to be considering switching to tabloid format and outsourcing its printing to a rival publisher such as News UK.

The Times today reports from “well placed sources” that the move is under consideration after Guardian Media Group made a “trading loss” of £70m for the year to the end of March 2016.

A source told the paper: “The company is working on a whole range of efficiency projects and the print programme fits into that.”

The Guardian Press Centre opened in 2005 with two new Berliner-size printing presses. The total investment was said to be £80m.

A move to out-source printing by The Guardian was previous reported to be under consideration in 2011.

When The Guardian switched from broadsheet to the narrower Berliner format in 2005 it was selling around 400,000 copies per day. Its latest ABC figure shows an average daily sale of 161,091.

This, coupled with the fact there are far fewer print advertising pages now than a decade ago, means The Guardian has a huge amount of spare print capacity. This means it will be paying for its printing presses to stand idle for much of the time.

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

Because few other newspapers in the UK use the Berliner format, providing printing for other titles is a challenge for Guardian Media Group. It currently prints the weekly The New European, which has a circulation of around 40,000.

A Guardian spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on rumour or speculation.”​

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