Johnston Press set to expand i newspaper to Northern Ireland with free launch
The i newspaper is set to launch in Northern Ireland on Monday (9 May) under Johnston Press ownership, marking the media group’s first regional expansion of the paper following its acquisition.
The paper will be free of charge for a five day launch period to allow readers readers in the region to get a ‘taste’ of the concise daily.
The first copies of the title will be distributed to over 1300 retailers in the region. The newspaper will be printed at Johnston Press’ own printing press in Carn, Northern Ireland.
The expansion is being supported by promotional activity that will include local radio ads on Cool FM and Downtown Radio and street distribution in key local areas such as universities, railway stations and bus stations.
The first standalone issue under its ownership was published in England on Monday 11th April, with the new site inews.co.uk going live shortly after.
Ashley Highfield, chief executive of Johnston Press, said: “With ongoing change in the newspaper industry, i is a great example of a title that knows its audience and fulfills a genuine desire – and this has been the key to its success since its launch in 2010. Acquiring the newspaper is already proving an effective move for Johnston Press, and we are delighted to finally be expanding into Northern Ireland.”