National World plc is a British multimedia company based in Leeds, England. The company was founded and listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2019 as a media takeover vehicle. In January 2021, it acquired JPIMedia for £10.2 million.[1][2][3][4] In April 2022, JPIMedia was rebranded to National World.[5] Since purchasing JPIMedia, National World has launched sixteen new titles and made a further seven acquisitions,[6] notably Insider Media.[7]
 Leeds head office of National World PLC | |
| National World | |
| Company type | Public company |
| Industry | Digital Media |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Leeds, England, UK |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | David Montgomery |
| Revenue | £84.1M (2022) |
| £9.7M (2022) | |
| Subsidiaries | Full list |
| Website | nationalworldplc |
Its flagship titles include The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post, and Belfast's The News Letter. The company operates over 100 newspapers and websites around the United Kingdom.[8]
The company reported 2022 revenues of £84.1M and adjusted EBITDA of £9.7M.[9]
Acquisition of JPI Media
On 31 December 2020, it was announced that JPIMedia Publishing Ltd (formerly Johnston Press[10]) and its subsidiaries were being sold to National World PLC on 2 January 2021. The new company was set up by the media executive David Montgomery.[11][12] On 29 April 2022, JPIMedia Publishing Ltd rebranded to National World Publishing Ltd, otherwise known as National World.[5]
Acquisition of Midland News Association
In September 2023, it was announced that the Graham family-owned Claverley Group had sold its subsidiary Midland News Association to National World PLC. The £11m sale included the regional daily newspapers Shropshire Star and Express & Star, and a number of weekly titles, along with Press Computer Systems, which supplies publishing platforms for both MNA and other major publishers including Newsquest and DC Thomson. The sale marked Claverley Group's exit from regional newspaper publishing.[13]
Operations
Since the acquisition of JPI Media, National World Plc has made further launches and acquisitions.[14]
In March 2021, nationalworld.com was launched as a national news website with an editorial team across the UK.[15] This was followed by the launch of city websites in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, London,[16] Birmingham and Bristol.[14] Further sites were launched for Northern Ireland, Sussex, Lincolnshire and Warwickshire.[17]
Subsequent launches were made in 2023 into Nottingham[18] and Derby,[19] and further national sites were launched, peopleworld.co.uk[20] and 3addedminutes.com.[21] National World also acquired the assets of football website publisher Scoopdragon and video content aggregator Newschain,[22] and news titles such as Newry Reporter,[23] Farm Week[24] and Banbridge Chronicle.[25]
On 2nd May 2023 the company announced the acquisitions of business media provider Insider Media as well as Yorkshire publisher the Rotherham Advertiser.[7]
Media brands in Great Britain
The following is a partial list of British websites, magazines and newspapers owned by the company:[26]
- Arbroath Herald
- Banbury Guardian
- Batley & Birstall News
- Bellshill Speaker
- Berwick Advertiser
- Biggleswade Chronicle
- BirminghamWorld
- Blackpool Gazette
- Bognor Regis Observer
- Boston Standard
- The Brechiner
- Bridlington Free Press
- Brighton & Hove Independent
- Bristol World
- Buckingham Advertiser
- Bucks Herald
- Burnley Express
- Buxton Advertiser
- Carrick Gazette
- Chichester Observer
- Chorley Guardian
- Crawley Observer
- Cumbernauld News
- Daventry Express
- Dearne Valley Weekender
- Derbyshire Times
- Derby World
- Dewsbury Reporter
- Diss Express
- Dinnington Guardian
- Doncaster Free Press
- Edinburgh Evening News
- Edinburgh Herald and Post
- Eastbourne Herald
- East Grinstead Gazette
- Ellon Times
- Farming Life
- Falkirk Herald
- Fife Free Press
- Fife Herald & Post
- Fife Leader
- Filey Mercury
- Fleetwood Weekly News
- Forfar Dispatch
- Galloway Gazette
- Gainsborough Standard
- Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra
- GlasgowWorld
- Green Un (Sheffield)
- Halifax Courier
- Hastings Observer
- Harborough Mail
- Hartlepool Mail
- Harrogate Advertiser
- Hemel Hempstead Gazette
- Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express
- Horncastle News
- Kilsyth Chronicle
- Kirriemuir Herald
- Lanark Gazette
- Lancashire Evening Post
- Lancaster Guardian
- Lancaster Visitor
- Lancing Herald
- Leyland Guardian
- Leamington Courier
- Leighton Buzzard Observer
- Littlehampton Gazette
- LincolnshireWorld
- LiverpoolWorld
- LondonWorld
- Louth Leader
- Luton News
- Lytham St Annes Express
- Market Rasen Mail
- Malton & Pickering Mercury
- ManchesterWorld
- Mansfield Chad
- Mid Sussex Times
- Midlands Business Insider
- Mirfield Reporter
- Milngavie and Bearsden Herald[27]
- Milton Keynes Citizen
- Montrose Review
- Morecambe Visitor
- Morpeth Herald
- Motherwell Times
- NationalWorld.com
- NewcastleWorld
- News Guardian
- News Post Leader
- The News (Portsmouth)
- North East Business Insider
- North West Business Insider
- Northern Ireland World
- Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph
- Northampton Chronicle & Echo
- Northumberland Gazette
- NottinghamWorld
- Paisley and Renfrewshire Extra (now defunct)[28]
- Perth Herald & Post
- People World
- Peterborough Evening Telegraph
- Pocklington Post
- Retford Guardian
- Ripon Gazette
- Rotherham Advertiser
- Rugby Advertiser
- Scarborough News
- Scotland on Sunday
- The Scotsman
- Sheffield Star
- Sheffield Telegraph
- Shields Gazette
- Shoreham Herald
- Shots! (Freeview streaming channel and website)
- Skegness Standard
- Sleaford Standard
- Southern Reporter
- South East Business Insider
- South West Business Insider
- Spilsby Standard
- Stornoway Gazette
- Sunderland Echo
- Sussex Express
- Sussex World
- Times & Citizen (Bedford)
- Todmorden News
- The Visitor (Morecambe, Lancs)
- Wales Business Insider
- Westend Extra (Glasgow)
- West Lothian Herald & Post
- West Sussex County Times
- West Sussex Gazette
- Wetherby News
- Whitby Gazette
- Wigan Evening Post
- Worksop Guardian
- Worthing Herald
- Yorkshire Evening Post
- Yorkshire Post
- Yorkshire Business Insider
- 3AddedMinutes
Newspapers in Northern Ireland
National World Publishing Ltd publishes a total of 22 titles in Northern Ireland through two holding companies, JPIMedia NI and Derry Journal Newspapers. The geographic readership of some titles extends across the Irish border into the Republic of Ireland, such as the Derry Journal which also covers County Donegal. Former JPIMedia titles published in the Republic of Ireland now belong to Iconic Newspapers.[26][29]
Shots!
On 7 August 2023[30] National World launched Shots!, a website devoted to football chat, true crime shows[31] and real life stories. National World also acquired a streaming slot for Shots! on Freeview channel 276, where it runs 24 hours a day and features shows such as The Heritage Chart Show with Mike Read, Walks Around Britain[32] and Exceptional Homes,[33] along with reports such as I Was in Byker Grove.[34][35][36]