The New European has relaunched as The New World, reflecting its broadening editorial coverage and wider ambitions.
The title started as a “pop-up” print experiment in 2016, nine days after Britain voted to leave the European Union.
Today it boasts 35,000 subscribers split 50/50 between those paying £60 for a digital-only subscription and £120 per year for print and digital.
According to founder and editor-in-chief Matt Kelly, it breaks even financially and reported revenue of £2.6m in its last financial year. The vast majority of income comes from subscriptions with very little advertising either online or in print.
He said the title has grown by 25% every year since 2022 when it was bought from Archant with the help of investors including Saul and Robin Klein, former BBC director general Mark Thompson, former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber and former Archant CEO Jeff Henry.
Explaining the reasoning behind the rebrand, Kelly said: “I’m conscious that the content of the magazine has changed out of all recognition.”
He said the name “The New World” was suggested by investor Saul Klein and he was surprised to find there is no other current media title with the name.
Explaining the title’s ethos, he said: “I see it as an antidote to corrosive right-wing populism in the media. We stand for an inclusive view of what the future can be, not based on division and nationalism.
“There is no value in always trying to relitigate Brexit. I think we have won the argument, most people now see Brexit as a mistake.” But he added that the thinking which drove Brexit has now become “a global issue”.
The relaunch has been accompanied with investment in paper stock so that the title is now more of a magazine than a newspaper. The paper stock has increased from 48 grammes per square meter to 66, the newsprint is now much whiter and each copy is now stitched and trimmed (again making it feel more like a magazine.
Kelly said the rebrand opens the door to American expansion for the title, but he said this would likely be a gradual process.
The New World now has 11 full-time staff and the business is led by executive chairman Gavin O’Reilly (formerly CEO of Independent News and Media).
New contributors announced today include: Sonia Sodha (formerly The Observer), Moisés Naím (best-selling author of The Revenge of Power) and Tom Baldwin (Keir Starmer’s biographer and former senior advisor to Labour).
Existing regular contributors include: Alastair Campbell, Matthew d’Ancona, Tanit Koch, James Ball, Marie Le Conte, Emily Herring, Nigel Warburton, Paul Mason, Patience Wheatcroft and Jason Solomons.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
