• The Independent has surpassed both Mail Online and The Sun to become the second largest digital news brand in the UK 
• It is the most popular British-born news title in the US for the second month running, having passed The Guardian in September 
• The growth in engagement and reach comes at a time when readers seek non-partisan reporting in a polarised media landscape

After a groundbreaking year for the global news publisher, The Independent has achieved its best ever UK and US rankings, according to new figures released by IPSOS iris and Comscore. For the first time in its history, October saw The Independent becoming the second largest digital news title in the UK, at the same time as being the number one British-born news brand in the US*.

UK highlights

• The Independent reached 19.4m readers in October, up 6% month-on-month (MoM)
• It overtook both Mail Online and The Sun to become the second largest digital news brand in the UK today – its highest ever ranking 
• In comparison, the cumulative news brand sector was up 3% MoM
• Notable successes for The Independent include – 

Lifestyle: the section’s audience swelled by 1.1m (+45.9%) MoM, with total minutes rising 75.8%.

IndyBest: The Independent’s shopping and recommendation platform attracted 375k new readers (+20.7%) and minutes increased 48.7% MoM.

Arts and Entertainment: visitor numbers grew by 966k (+16.5%) MoM. Total minutes witnessed a surge of 15.5%.

Sport: 277k new readers turned to The Independent’s expert sport coverage and analysis (+15.4%).

Engagement

Expansion in reach was matched by an impressive escalation in engagement. In October, The Independent achieved a total page view increase of 10% MoM.

Group success

The Independent’s parent company, Independent Media, also had wider reason to celebrate. Four of its brands dominated the news pure play chart. The Independent hit the top position, followed by HuffPost at number two, BuzzFeed in third position and Indy100 forth. Indy100 was the UK’s fastest growing pure play, up 62% MoM, whilst BuzzFeed grew by an impressive 14%.

US highlights

The Independent is the most popular British-born news brand in the US today. And it’s the fifth largest digital newspaper out of all titles in the US, 16m readers ahead of the LA Times. The Independent is only beaten by The New York Times, USA Today, New York Post and The Washington Post.

• In October, The Independent had an audience of 38.4m US visitors, increasing a massive 85% year-on-year (YoY)
• The Independent remains the largest British-born digital news brand in the US, for the second month running (across mobile and desktop)
• In comparison, the top British-born news brands in the US increased by just 2% YoY
• The Independent was the fifth largest digital news brand out of all titles in the US
• User engagement with The Independent also ramped up during October.  Page views per person visiting the site increased 10% MoM and a huge 131% YoY.
• Significant audience and commercial growth characterise The Independent’s US success story, as US Editor Louise Thomas, COO and President North America, Zach Leonard, and SVP Commercial Blair Tapper, lead operational and new business development for the brand in the world’s most competitive media market
• Indy100.com was up 9% YoY and 83% MoM.

Politically unbiased, culturally progressive

This huge success can be explained in part by reader research** released earlier this year, which examined The Independent’s audience of ‘modern progressives’. It revealed a vast collective of readers who rely upon unbiased evidence to develop their opinions on issues​, and who are attracted to The Independent for an editorial approach that is simultaneously politically neutral and culturally progressive​. 

These individuals are frustrated with media bias and polarisation, and view The Independent as the solution to this. More than readers of any other titles in both the UK and US, The Independent was rated number one in terms of: providing a balanced view of the world, its journalists working with integrity to uncover the facts, holding power to account without fear or favour, being editorially free from its owners and caring about the truth.

Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent remarks: “There is no more competitive industry than the media and it is a tremendous moment for The Independent to have achieved the extraordinary dual success of reaching this traffic milestone in the US and the UK. For us to be the number one brand in the US and to have jumped to number two in the UK in front of MailOnline and The Sun is a moment of celebration for our team. The Independent aims to bring its unique combination of quality journalism and enormous reach with a small team that always packs a mighty punch.”

Christian Broughton, The Independent’s CEO adds: “This success is testament to an extraordinary team, a validation of our strategy, and is built on our enduring values of truly Independent journalism.”

Zach Leonard, The Independent’s COO and President, North America closes: “Increasingly, North American readers are turning to The Independent for trustworthy news, features and commentary; and brands and agencies to our brand-safe, high-reach media platforms. It’s brilliant to see The Independent’s US Editorial, Audience and Commercial establishment, and the return, following decades of investment.”

Source UK: © Ipsos, Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service, October 2024, Brand Group – Digital Quality News Brands* and *Pureplays, all adults age 15+, UK *Note: Custom defined list by Independent. The Independent Brand Group audience includes Indy 100 data.

Source US: Comscore US Oct 2024. *The Independent is the biggest British-born news brand in the US across desktop and mobile (social media reach not included).

**Modern Progressives study, Spring 2024