The Guardian has revealed plans to build on its growing global audience, launching Guardian Europe to provide readers on the continent with a new tailored English-language edition of the Guardian website and app for the first time.
The digital edition brings together the Guardian’s European journalism alongside globally relevant stories, offering a unique Guardian perspective on the world for readers in Europe, added the publisher.
The launch, underpinned by recent editorial investment in Europe, was announced by the Guardian’s editor-in-chief Katharine Viner in a letter to readers, explaining how the edition will serve the Guardian’s millions of European readers in a globally connected world.
Guardian Europe builds on the international success of Guardian US, which now reaches over 40 million unique browsers each month; and Guardian Australia, which has become one of Australia’s most-read and influential news sites, with a monthly audience of 7.1 million, continued the publisher. At launch, Guardian Europe says it will immediately become the second biggest international edition.
Guardian Europe launches with an exclusive environment investigation into air quality across the continent; opinion pieces over the coming days from columnists including Rokhaya Diallo, Nathalie Tocci, Alexander Hurst, Timothy Garton Ash, Emma Dabiri and Fatma Aydemir; a dedicated Europe live blog; and special editions of the Guardian’s Today in Focus, Politics Weeklyand Football Weekly podcasts.
To celebrate the launch, Guardian readers are invited to sign up to a revamped This is Europe newsletter and join a free online Guardian Live event on Thursday 28 September, 7pm BST where the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, will host a discussion with MEPs, leading political scientists and experts to explore the biggest challenges facing Europe today.
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media said: “We’re investing more than ever in European journalism with the launch of Guardian Europe: a dedicated English-language site for Guardian readers on the continent that showcases original, independent journalism and highlights the issues that matter to them.
“The Guardian’s correspondents have been covering European affairs for more than 200 years, and we’re delighted to be expanding even further with new reporters, specialists in crucial Europe-wide themes such as the environment, culture, community affairs and sport, and an array of new European columnists. In today’s globally connected world, we believe there’s a great need, and a demand, for a European lens on world issues.”
The launch of the Europe edition coincides with a new global marketing campaign, emphasising the Guardian’s unique, independent ownership model and mission, added the publisher. The creative will be seen and heard worldwide, spanning audio, video, newsletters, print and social, with paid media focused on the UK and Europe. Digital screens and posters will feature across major European cities in the Guardian’s biggest ever European marketing push, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin and Paris, as well as London, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh. A new film will feature on Channel 4 (on demand and linear), in UK cinemas from 25 September, and on a range of digital and social platforms across Europe, showcasing how the Guardian delights and challenges readers around the world.
Anna Bateson, chief executive, Guardian Media Group said: “Over the last decade we have vastly increased the Guardian’s global reach, readership and revenues, now attracting more than one million paying supporters each month. Readers tell us they support the Guardian because they believe, like we do, in robust independent media that is open to all, funded by many, and beholden to no one.
“Our new Europe edition and our bold new marketing campaign carry forward that message and will help us to cultivate even deeper relationships with readers, advertisers and other partners who believe in our mission.”
The Guardian says its Europe edition becomes the Guardian’s fifth joining its successful UK, US, Australia and international editions. The Guardian’s European audience is its third largest after the UK and the US, with recurring digital support from the continent seeing steady growth; three and half times larger than it was in 2016. European readers are now the Guardian’s most engaged audience group outside of the UK, with over 250 million page views from Europe last year (up 129% vs. 2016) and nearly 25 million monthly unique browsers (up 41% vs. 2016).
The Guardian added that its three-year strategy is to build on its position as one of the world’s leading quality news publishers, aiming to become more global, more digital, with more paying supporters and producing more world-class journalism.
The Guardian’s global marketing campaign is the first since 2019’s Hope is Power.
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
