Subscriptions to Herald & Times Group increased by 20 per cent
THE number of subscriptions to the Herald & Times Group of newspapers and websites has increased by one fifth over the past year.
Seven-day paid-for readership to The Herald and our sister newspaper the Sunday Herald grew 2.1 per cent to 43,533 in the 12 months to June while digital subscriptions to the joint website heraldscotland.com increased by 3,190 to 14,000.
At the same time, print and digital subscriptions to The National have grown to 16,922 since its launch in November last year, according to internal figures.
It meant the group’s total print sales and online subscriptions grew to more than 91,000 in the first half of this year from 76,000 in the same period a year before.
The Herald & Times Group managing director Tim Blott said: “We are pleased to note that, despite general industry trends, our paying readership is growing at a substantial pace. This reflects the quality and scope of our journalism, as well as the uniqueness and integrity of our content.”
The company has also announced the appointment of a new head of digital to spearhead the group’s online audience growth and engagement. Gordon Stevenson is joining the firm from Media Scotland, where he has worked for 21 years.
The firm is also advertising for a head of social media and an appointment will be announced in due course.
Tom Thomson, managing editor of the Herald & Times Group, said: “It is gratifying to see a rise in our paying readership and the vote of confidence from our readers which this indicates.
“We are pleased at Gordon’s choice to join us as we inject new expertise and ambition into our digital content creation and advertising offerings with the first of t wo new key appointments.”
Mr Stevenson added: “I am excited to be joining such a dynamic and growing media group, and look forward to contributing to a significant expansion in online audience and revenue.”