ESI Media, the owner of the Independent titles, has today announced the launch of i100.co.uk – a news and comment platform which combines journalism with user curation in an attempt to make current affairs more interactive for readers.
The new site has been described as a mix of the best of the Independent and its sister title the i and combines new editorial formats including quizzes and interactive graphics as well as news reporting and opinion. The site will feature both native and display advertising, and launches in partnership with bank first direct.
Users of i100 can rank posts via ‘upvoting’ buttons to affect the order of stories in ‘The List’ meaning readers set the agenda. Content will be created especially for i100 by a dedicated team, but will also draw on content from independent.co.uk, as well as the i newspaper, with stories “substantially adapted” to make them fit the new editorial style.
In a statement, ESI Media said that from content to concept, i100 was designed to be consumed on mobiles, tablets and desktops as the company looks to boost online audience growth, user data and social-media engagement.
The latest ABC data showing the online performance of UK newsbrands reveals that the Independent.co.uk has seen a general pattern of growth over the last three years and currently receives 1.6 million daily average unique browsers.
However, in print, the title is one of the worst performers in the market with just 63,505 copies sold each day – down -15.4% (-11,600 copies) on 2013, according to the latest reports.
“This was a unique opportunity to deliver authoritative news using a new way to read, share, suggest and vote on stories,” said digital editor of The Independent and the i, Christian Broughton The result is a site that makes the most of the very best of social media.
“i100 builds on the thriving i newspaper brand, providing news and comment in a way that makes you want to engage. It can great fun, but it can also be extremely powerful – this is about proper news. Accurate, independent, intelligent, witty, high-quality journalism is in i100’s soul.”
The news comes the day after Steve Auckland, the current managing director of Metro UK, was named as the new chief executive of ESI Media.
Auckland, who has held senior roles at DMG Media, Northcliffe and Local World, will help ESI build its three companies – ESL, IPL and ESTV – by developing the London Evening Standard into a multi-platform media brand, continuing the transition of the Independent titles into a mixture of print and digital and by boosting the performance of local TV channel, London Live.
