Independent to launch 20p "quality daily paper"
The Independent will next week launch a "concise, quality daily paper" with the same cover price as the Daily Star.
The new weekday title, called i, will go on sale for 20p next Tuesday. The Independent said it would be "specifically targeted at readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers" and "those of all ages who want a comprehensive digest of the news in printed form".
Its publishers promised that it will "combine intelligence with brevity, and depth with speed of reading, providing an essential daily briefing".
The launch will be backed by "a significant outdoor advertising campaign", created by Trevor Beattie of the BMB agency.
Andrew Mullins, managing director of The Independent, said: "Quality newspapers provide a highly valuable audience for advertisers, but recently print circulations have been in decline and the average age of the audience has been increasing.
"Time-poor newspaper readers, and especially commuters, have been telling us for years that they are inundated with information and just don't have the time to read a quality newspaper on a regular basis. We are creating a newspaper for the 21st century that is designed for people who have a thirst for information and entertainment in the limited time that they have available."
The Independent trumpeted the new title on its own pages today, heralding the arrival of "the first quality daily newspaper to launch in almost 25 years".
But it has given no indication of the new paper's print run or distribution methods. It is understood that it will be available nationally, with the bulk of the content culled from the Independent and its existing team.
The Independent's editor-in-chief and editor of i, Simon Kelner, said: "With the launch of i, we are again doing something radical and new, creating a paper for today that retains the essential qualities of The Independent.
"Ever since The Independent launched, the paper has had a reputation for innovation and boldness and now we are creating the first post-modern newspaper, attractive to those who prize intelligence, convenience and desirability."