Latest news with #TheNewEuropean
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
A U.K. News Venture Is Seeking To Buck The Global Trend Of Declining Sales
The New World, founder and Editor in Chief., Matt kelly says willingness to act on gut instinct is ... More part and parcel of being an entrepreneur Question: How do you make a small fortune? Punchline: Easy. You start with a large fortune and then invest in a newspaper business. As jokes go, it's not side-splittingly funny, but it does reflect the realities of the newspaper industry. Globally, sales of national, regional and local newspapers have been in decline for around two decades. To make matters worse, advertisers have long since moved a significant portion of their spending online, a trend that has made life even tougher for publishers that retain a commitment to printed media. Looking ahead, it seems likely that sales and circulation figures will continue to fall. So, on the face of it, this does not seem like a particularly opportune time to take an entrepreneurial bet on a news-focused publication that was born out of the turmoil caused by the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union. But that's what Matt Kelly, founder and Editor in Chief of The New World ( previously, The New European) is doing. With the backing of some high profile investors, he is rebranding the publication, with the aim of increasing its circulation and appeal at a time when the market tides seem to be running in the other direction. When I spoke to him, I was keen to get his view on the scope for entrepreneurship to flourish in a print media market that seems to be in continuing decline. Launched in 2016, The New European was intended to be a four-edition pop-up newspaper - a temporary exercise aimed at putting the pro-EU case and lobbying for a second referendum. Almost a decade later, it has achieved profitability on the back of about 33,000 paid sales per edition. Now rebranded as The New World, its focus has widened, and Kelly sees an opportunity to expand the subscriber base nationally and ultimately internationally. If the original brief was to counter the politics that drove Brexit, the new remit is to take a stance against what Kelly describes as global populism. As he acknowledges, changing a formula that is currently delivering a profit is an inherently risky undertaking. 'I feel this is an audacious thing to do,' he says. 'It gives me massive butterflies in my stomach. We have made the New European profitable, and now we are rolling the dice again. But it is a necessary boldness. Part and parcel of being an entrepreneur is a willingness to act on gut instinct and take a risk.' Standing still could be a bigger risk. While the publication found an audience, a continuing focus on reversing Brexit may not bring in new subscribers in the future, nor prevent existing readers from cancelling over time. The hope is that a rebrand will re-engage the existing audience and prove attractive to newcomers. If that kind of pivot makes sense, the move has to be seen against the realities of the U.K.'s newspaper market. According to a 2024 survey by media regulator Ofcom, 51% of British adults got most of their news from newspapers in 2018. By 2024, this had fallen to 34%, with only 22% using print and the rest favoring online editions. Meanwhile, there is also evidence that populations around the world are turning away from news. A global survey by the Reuters Institute for Journalism uncovered a trend towards disengagement, 39% of respondents sometimes or often avoided news. So, how do you counter that trend, particularly if you're a niche publisher, albeit one with a national reach. The short answer might be, you provide a product that resonates with the target audience. As Kelly recalls, there was no business plan for The New European until the first circulation figures came in. 'I would have been happy with six or seven thousand,' he says. 'The first week's total was 40,000. That showed there was a viable market for a niche magazine.' Initially, the title was owned by regional publisher Archant, which ran into financial problems and was bought out by private equity. At that point, Kelly sought investors to back his business plan and managed to attract some well-known names from tech and media. These included VCs Saul and Robin Klein, TransferWise founder Taavet Hinrikus and figures from the media, including CNN's Mark Thompson, former FT editor Lionel Barber and Ed Elliot of media firm Edelman. 'Some like Saul and Robin are VCs, but they are investing as angels,' says Kelly. 'We have also allocated 16,000 shares to people who have invested between £15 and £2,000. They are mostly readers.' The investors are aligned with the mission, so is this merely a good deed in wicked world rather than true investment? Kelly insists that is not the case. 'There is goodwill here, but this is a business. The investment isn't philanthropy,' he says. As he acknowledges, the investors probably won't see the 10x or 20x return demanded by VCs but if the time comes to sell the exit value could be driven by more than sales and revenues. 'I think any future buyer will be paying for influence,' Kelly says. The aim, therefore, is to ensure the publication becomes more influential.' Despite the pressures caused by the ongoing declining circulation trend, there has been a flurry of investment in the U.K. media market lately. A relative newcomer Tortoise Media has bought the venerable Observer newspaper from the Guardian for an undisclosed sum and political magazine, The Spectator has been purchased by Sir Paul Marshall for £100 million. Sir Paul was also an investor in right-leaning television startup GB News. So is this a good time for media entrepreneurship? Kelly is cautiously optimistic, arguing that after a period in which traditional publishing models were upended by the internet, business models are once again becoming clear. For its part, The New World sees subscription rather than advertising as the revenue driver. And the appetite of the audience is changing. So there is an opportunity for new entrants that can say we represent what you (the reader) are feeling.' And of course that's a principle that cuts in a lot of directions. While the The New World is designed to appeal to progressives, the GB News TV channel - another post-Brexit enterprise - is aimed at those who dress right. The common factor is giving a niche audience what it relates to . That's probably the space in which news media entrepreneurship can thrive in right now. From political YouTube channels to print and broadcast platforms, there are audience segments that are hungry for outlets that reflect their own outlook. For those who can keep costs down and clear focus, there can be money to be made, even if in the bigger media world, the commercial pressures are huge. I
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Anti-Brexit newspaper changes name to reflect ‘reality' of global politics
The New European, a 'Remainer' magazine launched in response to the Brexit referendum, is being renamed to reflect the changing picture of global politics. The rebrand to The New World is a nod to the 'the global unravelling' which started with Britain leaving the EU but is now being seen worldwide in countries such as the US, according to founder and editor in chief Matt Kelly. 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of right wing populism that brought us Brexit,' said Mr Kelly. 'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality. 'We know there is enormous appetite for our style of journalism - vibrant, constructive, witty and full of ideas and great reads that make sense of this extraordinary moment in world politics and culture.' The New European, which has published more than 400 editions, had 35,000 paying subscribers and claim revenues have trebled since the business moved independent three years ago. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who is editor-at-large of The New European newspaper, said themes that underpinned Brexit are playing out around the world, including a political shift to the right in many nations. 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro internationalism, liberal democracy,' said Mr Campbell. 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at United States alone. You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened - it's a reflection of that.' Mr Campbell said he will 'never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves', but added: 'I'm hoping this will be the next chapter of a story that we're going to keep telling, which is that liberal democracy is the way forward, that nationalism is not the answer to the challenges that we face, that populism is doomed to fail, and there's a better way that involves people with an optimistic, internationalist outlook.' New contributing editors slated to join The New World include Sonia Sodha, formerly of The Observer, The Revenge of Power author Moises Naim and Tom Baldwin, Keir Starmer's biographer and former senior advisor to Labour.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Alastair Campbell's anti-Brexit newspaper drops ‘European' branding
An anti-Brexit newspaper edited by Alastair Campbell is dropping its European branding nine years after the UK voted to leave the EU. The New European, which counts Tony Blair's former spin doctor as its editor-at-large, will be renamed The New World as the title aims to distance itself from its founding mission. The weekly paper initially launched as a four-week pop-up publication in response to the Brexit vote in 2016, saying it aimed to 'rebalance the Right-wing extremes of much of the UK national press'. However, the title is now expanding its outlook globally as interest in Brexit wanes and amid broader geopolitical turmoil. Mr Campbell said: 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at the United States alone. 'You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened – it's a reflection of that.' But he added: 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro-internationalism, liberal democracy. I will never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self-harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves, certainly in my lifetime.' The New European was formerly owned by local newspaper group Archant before being taken private by its founder and a group of angel investors in 2021. Mark Thompson, the former BBC director general, and Lionel Barber, the former editor of the Financial Times, are among the investors in the title, alongside serial tech investor Saul Klein and Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of payments firm Wise. The New European raised more than £1m in a crowdfunding campaign in 2023 that valued the business at £6m. The company will seek further investment later this year as it looks to move into new markets. The revamped title has tapped a string of new writers, including former Observer columnist Sonia Sodha and Tom Baldwin, a former senior Labour adviser and Sir Keir Starmer's biographer. They will join existing contributors including Matthew d'Ancona, Marie Le Conte and Paul Mason. The title, which will be available in the UK, Ireland and selected European capitals, will also boast a redesigned format. The company said the relaunch aimed to build on a growing subscriber base. Since 2022, revenues have tripled and subscriptions have quadrupled, taking the total weekly paying audience to around 35,000. Matt Kelly, the founder and editor-in-chief, said: 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of Right-wing populism that brought us Brexit. 'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality. 'We have come a long way. We have built a profitable business and a vibrant alternative to tired old legacy media models. Now we are ambitious for more growth.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alastair Campbell's anti-Brexit newspaper drops ‘European' branding
An anti-Brexit newspaper edited by Alastair Campbell is dropping its European branding nine years after the UK voted to leave the EU. The New European, which counts Tony Blair's former spin doctor as its editor-at-large, will be renamed The New World as the title aims to distance itself from its founding mission. The weekly paper initially launched as a four-week pop-up publication in response to the Brexit vote in 2016, saying it aimed to 'rebalance the Right-wing extremes of much of the UK national press'. However, the title is now expanding its outlook globally as interest in Brexit wanes and amid broader geopolitical turmoil. Mr Campbell said: 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at the United States alone. 'You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened – it's a reflection of that.' But he added: 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro-internationalism, liberal democracy. I will never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves, certainly in my lifetime.' The New European was formerly owned by local newspaper group Archant before being taken private by its founder and a group of angel investors in 2021. Former BBC director general Mark Thompson and former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber are among the investors in the title, alongside serial tech investor Saul Klein and Taavet Hinrikus, founder of payments firm Wise. The New European raised more than £1m in a crowdfunding campaign in 2023 that valued the business at £6m. The company will seek further investment later this year as it looks to move into new markets. The revamped title has tapped a string of new writers, including former Observer columnist Sonia Sodha and Tom Baldwin, a former senior Labour adviser and Sir Keir Starmer's biographer. They will join existing contributors including Matthew d'Ancona, Marie Le Conte and Paul Mason. The title, which will be available in the UK, Ireland and selected European capitals, will also boast a redesigned format. The company said the relaunch aimed to build on a growing subscriber base. Since 2022, revenues have tripled and subscriptions have quadrupled, taking the total weekly paying audience to around 35,000. Matt Kelly, the founder and editor-in-chief, said: 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of Right-wing populism that brought us Brexit. 'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality. 'We have come a long way. We have built a profitable business and a vibrant alternative to tired old legacy media models. Now we are ambitious for more growth.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
New European
20-05-2025
- Business
- New European
Brexit is dead. Long live the future
The Matts are on something of a high. This week's EU deal suddenly feels much more consequential than they'd expected. Credit (for once) to Starmer … even in his technocratic monotone, he presided over a clear vibe shift in the UK's relationship with the EU. No, it doesn't go nearly far enough. No, it's not rejoin. But yes … it's a new pathway and it feels like we have, finally, a PM willing to start fixing the mess of the last 9 years. The hard yards start now, but at least we can be confident that we've won the argument, Brexit is definitively a dud, and the future beckons. Enjoy. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to
