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New Day Trinity Mirror Simon Fox

Trinity Mirror confirms it is to shut the New Day newspaper just 10 weeks after its launch

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By Seb Joseph | News editor

May 4, 2016 | 3 min read

Trinity Mirror looks set to publish the final edition of the New Day newspaper this Friday (6 May) just two months after its launch according to reports.

In a statement Trinity Mirror confirmed: "Although The New Day has received many supportive reviews and built a strong following on Facebook, the circulation for the title is below our expectations. As a result, we have decided to close the title on 6 May 2016. Whilst disappointing, the launch and subsequent closure have provided new insights into enhancing our newspapers and a number of these opportunities will be considered over time."

Despite Trinity Mirror’s insistence that it would give the title time to find its feet, it seems pressure to pull the plug became too much given its drastic drop in circulation over the last 10 weeks. The Drum reported that sales slipped from 150,000 editions in the days after it launched to just 40,000, which may have worried bosses as to whether they’d be able to build enough of an audience around it so that brands would pour budget into it. The slip was likely exacerbated by a rise in the cover price from 25p at launch to 50p.

The title aimed to appeal to a female-skewed audience, with editorial focused on positive stories. It eschewed many of the standard tropes of newspaper printing, which extended to advertising. Each edition had eight fixed placements spread across 40 fixed pages each day – two full page ads, two half pages and four smaller ones. It also featured right hand copy ads, another departure from the established practices of newspaper advertising.

The launch of the New Day split the market at the time of its launch with some hopeful it would become profitable and open up a potentially lucrative audience, while others weren’t convinced it was the right brand for the time. The Independent’s publisher ESI Media’s managing director for digital Zach Leonard falls into the latter camp. He questioned the pricing strategy of the title and suggested the content wasn’t presented in the most accessible way for readers.

New Day Trinity Mirror Simon Fox

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