News industry use of the Government Covid-19 furlough scheme was at its lowest level of 2021 so far in March as Archant, previously the biggest claimant, scaled back its reliance on the financial support.
England’s lockdown restrictions, which came into effect at the start of January, began to ease in March with schools reopening, the end of the “stay at home” rule and outdoor social meet-ups and sports allowed.
Regional publisher Archant, which has just launched a recruitment and investment drive including a dedicated digital reporting team and editors being reinstated at two of its weekly titles, claimed between £250,001 and £500,000 in February.
[Read more: Media furlough claims in December, January, February]
This was reduced to the £100,001 to £250,000 band in March – the same as JPI Media and the Midland News Association.
Press Gazette understands Archant more than broke even in the first quarter of 2021.
The UK’s second-biggest regional publisher Newsquest reduced its claim in March from the £50,001 to £100,000 band to between £25,001 and £50,000.
No exact figures are given in the public Government data – only banded ranges.
Other news media companies that reduced their claims in March included Tindle Devon Newspapers and Kent’s KM Media Group, both from the £25,001 to £50,000 band to the £10,001 to £25,000 one.
Time Out England went down from somewhere between £50,001 and £100,000 to between £25,001 to £50,000.
Conde Nast, Tindle Newspapers in Wales and the Borders, and William Reed Business Media all joined the lowest band in March.
The only publisher to increase its claim was London local news provider Southwark News, going from the lowest band in February to between £10,001 and £25,000.
In total the industry claimed between £515,018.27 and £1.515m in March.
This compares to:
- between £765,018.26 and £1.9m in February
- between £535,018.25 and £1.525m in January
- between £390,000 and £1.18m in December.
Before December HMRC was legally unable to name companies who had received furlough payments because of taxpayer confidentiality rules under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.
However, it is now required to name on a monthly basis the employers who have claimed cash, and how much within various banded ranges, due to a Treasury direction made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 in November when the furlough scheme was extended.
The scheme, under which the Government pays 80% of an employee’s wages for hours they do not work while on furlough, is now due to end on 30 September.
See below for a full list of UK media companies that used the job retention scheme in March, ranked by their latest claims and with claim totals given in £.
Regional press
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| ARCHANT COMMUNITY MEDIA LTD | 50,001 to 100,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 | 250,001 to 500,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 |
| MIDLAND NEWS ASSOCIATION LTD | 50,001 to 100,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 |
| JPIMEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED | 100,001 to 250,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 | 100,001 to 250,000 |
| NEWSQUEST MEDIA GROUP LTD | 25,001 to 50,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 50,001 to 100,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 |
| TINDLE DEVON NEWSPAPERS LTD | 10,001 to 25,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| KM MEDIA GROUP LIMITED | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| CITY A.M. LTD | 25,001 to 50,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| BAYLIS MEDIA LTD | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| HIGHLAND NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| ILIFFE MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| IRISH NEWS LTD | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| SOUTHWARK NEWSPAPER LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| TINDLE NEWSPAPERS WALES AND THE BORDERS LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| TINDLE NEWSPAPERS LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| TINDLE NEWSPAPERS SURREY & HAMPSHIRE LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA LTD | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| NEW MILTON NEWS AND MEDIA LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| ILIFFE MEDIA LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| ILIFFE MEDIA GROUP LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| GAZETTE NEWSPAPER GROUP LIMI TED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| HOLDERNESS NEWSPAPERS LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| POST NEWSPAPERS LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| STRATFORD NEWS AND MEDIA LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
Broadcast
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| BAUER RADIO LTD | 50,001 to 100,000 | 50,001 to 100,000 | 50,001 to 100,000 | 50,001 to 100,000 |
| GLOBAL MEDIA GROUP SERVICES LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 |
| BAUER MEDIA AUDIO LIMITED | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 |
| AL JAZEERA INTERNATIONAL LTD | 0 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
Digital media
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| TORTOISE MEDIA LTD | 0 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| VICE UK LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
Magazines
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| TIME OUT ENGLAND LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 | 50,001 to 100,000 | 25,001 to 50,000 |
| THE CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| THE CHELSEA MAGAZINE COMPANY LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| TIME OUT | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| THE ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY BRISTOL LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY LONDON LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| POSITIVE NEWS PUBLISHING LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
B2B media
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| WILLIAM REED BUSINESS MEDIA LTD | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 10,001 to 25,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| INCISIVE BUSINESS MEDIA LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
Specialist news
| Company | Dec-20 | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 |
| FRANCE MEDIA LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| HABER WEEKLY NEWSPAPER LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| HAMODIA NEWSPAPER LTD | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| THE JEWISH TELEGRAPH LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
| THE STAGE MEDIA COMPANY LIMITED | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 | 0.01 to 10,000 |
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