Guardian set to go tabloid, reports suggest

The Guardian is set to become a tabloid newspaper as part of publisher Guardian News and Media’s ongoing cost-cutting mission.

According to The Telegraph, the publisher is poised to announce a deal with Trinity Mirror that will see it outsource its printing – and sell off its Berliner size presses and printworks which it bought for £80 million in 2005.

The move, which would see the newspaper printed at around half the size it was when in broadsheet format, is reportedly one of a series of options that GNM is considering as it looks to cut costs by more than 20% over the next three years.

If the Berliner presses close, the Observer will have no choice but to move back to a broadsheet or become a tabloid itself.

A source close to the negotiations told The Telegraph: “This deal makes great sense to the Guardian financially.

“It keeps the journalism available in print, which many readers really value, and it will offer much more flexibility for the future.”

Last year GNM announced it is looking to shave off more than £53 million from its current £268 million annualised cost base in an effort to offset both declining print revenues and slower-than-expected growth in digital revenues, which no longer sustain outgoings.