Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
Newspaper ownership in the UK - statistics & facts
“Who owns the news media?” is a recurring question. Who is behind the news can profoundly impact the ways audiences perceive the content published, and in an era where the public seek unbiased content, accountability among brands, and trustworthy information, the matter of media ownership continues to be relevant. With this in mind, and with the UK’s press freedom score on the decline again – partly due to news media ownership concentration – how much influence do the top newspaper owners really have?
Collectively, these three companies have a substantial amount of clout within the UK newspaper market. Reach Plc is also among the UK’s leading local newspaper publishers with a hefty number of local and regional titles across the country and a market share of almost 20 percent. The biggest local newspaper owner, Gannett UK (Newsquest), holds a similar market share at just over 23 percent, meaning that nearly half of the UK’s local news publications are owned by just two companies.
Murdoch-owned American mass media company News Corp publishes several major papers in the UK via its subsidiaries, including The Times and The Sun newspapers. DMGT owns free paper Metro, the daily newspaper with the highest circulation in the UK, as well as the Daily Mail, which ranks top in terms of paid circulation. Reach Plc not only has several national dailies, but also their Sunday counterparts. With the exception of the Sunday Mirror, Reach owns all of the UK’s top Sunday newspapers by circulation.
Meanwhile, the most recently available data revealed that out of the top 10 highest paid national news media executives in the UK, three were employed at Reach or DMGT, with an unnamed executive working for DMGT reportedly on a salary higher than the CEOs of Financial Times, Reach, and Newquest combined. Whilst it is to be expected that those in senior roles enjoy larger salaries, the smaller the pool of newspaper owners and the higher their income, the greater the likelihood of alienating the public from the news they disseminate, particularly in times of economic crisis.
National and local newspaper ownership
The United Kingdom’s largest national newspaper companies are DMGT, Reach Plc, and News Corp UK – together accounting for thousands of employees and numerous news publications in the UK news industry.Collectively, these three companies have a substantial amount of clout within the UK newspaper market. Reach Plc is also among the UK’s leading local newspaper publishers with a hefty number of local and regional titles across the country and a market share of almost 20 percent. The biggest local newspaper owner, Gannett UK (Newsquest), holds a similar market share at just over 23 percent, meaning that nearly half of the UK’s local news publications are owned by just two companies.
Murdoch-owned American mass media company News Corp publishes several major papers in the UK via its subsidiaries, including The Times and The Sun newspapers. DMGT owns free paper Metro, the daily newspaper with the highest circulation in the UK, as well as the Daily Mail, which ranks top in terms of paid circulation. Reach Plc not only has several national dailies, but also their Sunday counterparts. With the exception of the Sunday Mirror, Reach owns all of the UK’s top Sunday newspapers by circulation.
The effects of ownership concentration
Concentration of news ownership is a growing problem in terms of media plurality, and this affects consumer opinions of the press. In fact, a survey on trust in news found that around a third of UK adults lacked trust due to corruption in the media. Additionally, over 40 percent felt that journalists spin the news, and that there is a great deal of misreporting.Meanwhile, the most recently available data revealed that out of the top 10 highest paid national news media executives in the UK, three were employed at Reach or DMGT, with an unnamed executive working for DMGT reportedly on a salary higher than the CEOs of Financial Times, Reach, and Newquest combined. Whilst it is to be expected that those in senior roles enjoy larger salaries, the smaller the pool of newspaper owners and the higher their income, the greater the likelihood of alienating the public from the news they disseminate, particularly in times of economic crisis.
