News group site views up by 25 per cent as digital leads the way

A national media group has announced that it is refocusing on its digital content following a 25 per cent increase in page views.

Reach PLC, which is based in London and owns local and national newspapers such as the Daily Mirror and the Chronicle, said that its digital performance was strengthened and that its average worldwide monthly page views grew to 1.3 billion in 2019.

The company, which acquired the Express & Star in 2018, also reported that its like-for-like revenue fell by 5.3 per cent – an improvement on 2018’s fall of 6.6 per cent.

However, it also announced in its full year trading results that its revenue was £702.5m, down 3 per cent from 2018’s £723.9m.

Jim Mullen, CEO of Reach, commented: “I was delighted to join Reach in August 2019 and have been impressed by the relentless focus on producing award-winning journalism and content that shapes national and regional conversations.

“These are strong foundations on which to invest and innovate to ensure a sustainable future for our trusted brands.

“2019 was a year of good operational and solid financial progress with record growth in audience numbers, consistently good cash generation and a strong balance sheet.

“This, along with unparalleled scale, underpins our drive to build an intelligent, relevant and trusted content business for the long term whilst continuing to deliver for our stakeholders.

“Content is at the heart of the new customer value strategy we are announcing today.

“We have an unmatched reach in UK media and will deepen our relationships via increased customer engagement.

“Through this, we see significant potential to accelerate the diversification of our digital revenue and capture more value to deliver on our sustainable digital growth ambitions.”

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