I promised you something more was afoot following Lebedev’s purchase of The Independent and, at risk of donning my smug trousers and parading around like a drill sergeant doing a peacock impression on his birthday, today’s launch of i was definitely something more. The new national tabloid newspaper, billing itself as “the paper of today”, hit newsstands across the country this morning, offering readers 56 pages of news nuggets and readily digestible opinion and comment. The paper is intended to offer news to people who lack the time for a more thorough read but crave something weightier than the commuter free sheet Metro can offer. At first glance the front cover very much resembles The Independent, giving itself over almost entirely to one leading image and with a familiar-looking typeface and layout. Confusingly, it seems likely to appeal to a similar audience as that courted by The Independent, although presumably the publishers are hoping for significantly more of them than The Indie delivers.
All told, this new title has us baffled at Space and Time towers: it’s a quality product and, judged on its own merits, could do well. However, whether it can do this without cannibalising The Independent’s increasingly meagre readership is open for debate, as is the issue of whether enough people will find the time and inclination to pay 20p for this title rather than grabbing a Metro for free. It also seems an odd decision to keep trying to pursue this young, time-poor audience with a print medium rather than speaking to them through the online media they are repeatedly shown to prefer. Perhaps time will tell on this one.
Since even the Captain is unsure what to make of this title, why not let us know what you think? Have you seen this paper yet? Will it sink or swim? Do you wish you’d trademarked the letter i about 15 years ago?
See You Next Time!!
Captain Kickback
