iWeekend
The i Paper
It also recorded the lowest year-on-year decline of any title for the 12 months to November 2024.
Average sales fell by just 3%, resulting in a +0.3 percentage point year-on-year increase in its share of the national newspaper market — marking four consecutive years of growth. iweekend, on sale on Saturdays and Sundays, has grown its share of the quality market by five percentage points over the past five years.
It has been the third-largest title in the Quality market for over two years, having overtaken the Saturday Guardian in summer 2022 and steadily increasing its lead since. UK Retail Sales Value rose by 4% over the past year.
Our website, inews.co.uk, now attracts 9 million monthly users and has achieved a 199% increase in subscriber sessions over the past 12 months.
This remarkable success across all platforms is founded on trust, transparency, and a dedication to public interest journalism.
Throughout the year, iweekend has demonstrated its commitment to accountability and transparency through impactful, groundbreaking reporting:
In January, we revealed that the Post Office was warned about Fujitsu IT problems years before the scandal erupted, and how a second IT system, Capture, was faulty and postmasters were likely to have been victims of wrongful convictions. In February, we uncovered UK offers of citizenship to Russian officials willing to defect and share secrets with MI6. In April, an i Paper investigation found evidence of Chinese spy “honeytrap” operations targeting UK intelligence officials.
During the summer, our weekend editions featured high-profile interviews with leading Westminster figures from all corners of the political sphere. In a series of consumer-focused exclusives, iWeekend has highlighted the impact of funding cuts, revealing that councils across England have slashed over 90% of bus services since 2010. Exposed a black market for Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat rider accounts.
Reported on a series of HS2 blunders including our exclusive £200m wasted of taxpayers money for trains that are too high for station platforms.
We identified thousands of “affordable” homes left empty despite the ongoing housing crisis, and reported on the surge in private UK healthcare as record numbers turn away from the NHS.
Last year, when we launched our Save Britain’s Rivers campaign, we made a promise to our readers: we would return with a plan of action. We committed to working with political leaders, scientists, civil servants, environmental groups, and industry to create a manifesto to save the UK’s rivers from sewage and other pollution. In June, amid growing public outrage over the health risks from pollution and the widespread destruction of wildlife, The i Paper unveiled its manifesto to rescue the UK’s rivers and seas. The National Trust supported the initiative, urging political leaders to adopt i’s five pledges to stop rivers from being treated as open sewers.
As the only UK national newspaper that has never endorsed a political party, we remain committed to holding all political parties to account. Our political team has expanded this year, with Kitty Donaldson joining as Chief Political Commentator and Will Hazell as Whitehall Correspondent, continuing to deliver exclusive long reads.
Our opinion section has also grown, becoming a significant draw for subscribers, featuring regular contributions from Adam Boulton, Emily Maitlis, Emma Barnett, and more. Throughout the year, we have focused on delivering added value through strategic reader engagement and innovative offerings.
We strengthened our partnership with Britannica’s What on Earth magazine, providing regular fun family pull-outs as well as launching a Euro 2024 gatefold wallchart. Our travel section continues to expand with additional pages and pull-outs, emphasizing value for money, off-the-beaten-path destinations, and a comprehensive UK holiday offering. We have achieved significant commercial success through targeted partnerships in travel and money, including the addition of a new weekly money section and numerous one-off supplements. We also continue to collaborate with new editorial partners, including Alzheimer’s Society and Marie Curie.