London, United Kingdom – 21 December 2020 – The Independent, Britain’s largest digital quality news brand, announces today the launch of Independent TV, bringing its audience news, arts, lifestyle, sports and more in video form.
With the launch of Independent TV, familiar writers will now become familiar faces to its audience across the globe. The Independent’s talented editorial staff around the world – from the Middle East and India to the US and Russia – will collaborate closely with the multimedia team, telling their stories through high-quality, insightful and engaging video.
The Independent TV hub can be accessed and enjoyed from any screen, including mobile, at www.independent.tv.
This launch comes off the back of more strong financial results, with year-on-year revenues up 23pc in Q1 of its financial year (Sept-Dec 2020). Video journalism has long made a significant contribution to the growth of The Independent, including its revenues, with up to 95 million videos watched on the website each month, plus many more on The Independent’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Over the next 12 months, Independent TV will continue to build out its offering, bringing its viewers an ongoing schedule, enabling them to experience the stories that matter at any time, from any place, and to see the news for themselves, including live events. This next phase will also include new functionality.
The Independent is launching a number of initiatives and new businesses that combine outstanding journalism, aggressive revenue growth, industry-leading innovation, enriched company value and enhanced global influence, led by Christian Broughton, Managing Director and former Editor, who changed roles in October. These offerings, such as Independent TV, will further secure The Independent’s future as a truly global and successful news organisation.
It has been almost five years since The Independent transformed from print to fully digital publishing, becoming the first and still only major newspaper in the world to make the leap successfully.
The Independent is now Britain’s biggest quality digital news brand, having surpassed the readership of The Guardian, Times and Telegraph, with the US consistently performing as the brand’s biggest market. It now publishes from 12 countries and in six languages, with Russian and Asian editions planned.
Christian Broughton, Managing Director, commented: “Today an exciting new episode begins with the launch of Independent TV. The ability to see events unfold for yourself enriches our reporting and will further engage our viewers – seeing is more than just believing, you feel with great compassion for those whose lives are caught in the headlines, and understand the world all the better for it. This is just the beginning of the next phase of our multimedia offering, and will strengthen a successful financial future for The Independent. A great achievement from our incredibly talented journalists and developers.”
Zach Leonard, CEO, commented: “Independent TV delivers on our already-influential reach through high-yielding, targeted video, to serve global audiences through six languages and digital distribution channels. Brands and agencies will be able to extend their marketing campaigns with efficiency, confidence and results, through Independent TV.”
