Scottish local news publisher DC Thomson has hit 25,000 digital subscriptions 18 months after setting a target of reaching 75,000 by 2025.

The milestone comes after a radical shake-up of its newsrooms that included the creation of teams focusing on specialist areas rather than geographic patches, an “impact” team creating slower-paced work like investigative documentaries, the appointment of audience development roles and the upskilling of existing staff, and a focus on “quality reads” and engagement metrics rather than page views.

The news brands included in the digital target are the UK’s best-selling regional newspaper the Press & Journal, based in Aberdeen, and its sister title in Dundee, The Courier. The Sunday Post’s newspaper e-edition also contributes, although its website paywall is not yet set up.