Reach begins premium subscription rollout with Manchester Evening News launch
Reach has introduced a premium digital subscription tier at the Manchester Evening News, marking the start of a wider subscriptions strategy across its regional titles, as reported by InPublishing.
Readers will now encounter premium articles and dynamic paywalls, with paid subscribers receiving exclusive journalism and a reduced-ad experience. The initiative follows the appointment of Reach’s first digital subscriptions lead and will extend to the Liverpool Echo and WalesOnline in the coming weeks.
Key Points from InPublishing’s Coverage
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Premium content has begun appearing on the Manchester Evening News site, including an investigation into Charlie Veitch and an interview with Jason Manford.
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Chief Executive Piers North said: “This launch is only the start of a journey for us, but an exciting one,” adding that subscriptions would “complement rather than replace our ad-funded model.”
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North emphasised that shifting even a small portion of Reach’s large audience into paid readership could be “significant” for future revenues.
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Editor Sarah Lester told readers: “Manchester Evening News Premium is our next step in reflecting that spirit, offering journalism that’s deeper, more personal and even more connected to the place we all call home.”
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Further subscription launches are planned for the Liverpool Echo and WalesOnline, with more titles to follow in 2026.
My Analysis
Reach’s decision to debut paid digital tiers at its flagship regional titles signals a decisive shift towards audience revenue in a market long dominated by advertising-led models. The choice of the Manchester Evening News as the testbed makes strategic sense: it is one of Reach’s strongest regional brands, with a loyal readership and significant scale—ideal conditions for experimenting with propensity-based paywalls.
By positioning subscriptions as additive rather than a replacement for advertising, Reach is hedging against volatility in the digital ad market while trying to avoid alienating casual readers. The promise of an ad-lite experience is also noteworthy, reflecting a broader industry trend in which publishers use reduced advertising load as a core value proposition.
The appointment of a dedicated digital subscriptions lead suggests the company is serious about developing a more sophisticated reader-revenue infrastructure. If the rollout proves successful in Manchester, Liverpool and Wales, Reach may finally begin to close the gap with regional competitors and nationals that have long invested in paid content strategies.
However, the gamble carries risks. Regional audiences historically show lower willingness to pay compared with national brands, and dynamic paywalls can frustrate readers if not calibrated carefully. A best-case scenario sees Reach unlocking a meaningful new revenue stream and deepening engagement with its most loyal users; a less favourable outcome would be modest uptake that creates operational complexity without materially improving margins. How Reach manages that balance will determine whether this “journey,” as North describes it, delivers on its promise.
