Reach, the publisher behind the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and numerous regional titles such as the Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Mail, and Liverpool Echo, is set to cut approximately 220 editorial jobs as part of a broader cost-cutting and restructuring effort. The announcement comes amid a significant shift in audience behavior, with readers increasingly relying on artificial intelligence-generated summaries and digital content consumption patterns evolving rapidly.
The job reductions follow previous cuts last year, when more than 300 editorial roles were eliminated. In addition to the editorial cuts, the publisher plans to reduce around 65 commercial roles out of roughly 500 in that division. Despite these reductions, Reach intends to create approximately 60 new journalism positions focused on areas deemed critical for future growth, including subscriptions and longer-form video content.
Chief Content Officer David Higgerson cited multiple factors driving the restructuring, including a decline in Google search referral traffic and intensified competition from the BBC, which he said replicates local commercial publishers' output up to 70% of the time. Higgerson characterized the transformation as a “mammoth shift” in how audiences consume news and content, signaling a strategic move away from prioritizing the volume of stories toward emphasizing original journalism and the development of distinctive brand identities.
As part of the changes, Reach will also close three online-only local news brands—KentLive, AberdeenLive, and GalwayBeo—citing their inability to become dominant publishers in their respective regions. The company has indicated these closures and job cuts are necessary to ensure a sustainable future amid ongoing industry challenges.
Reach reported a slight decline in digital revenues, down nearly 1% to £128.9 million in the year ending 3 March 2026. The publisher’s share price has experienced a significant drop of about 90% over the past five years. The company currently serves around 50,000 paid digital subscribers across six major titles and aims to increase this number to 75,000 by the end of the financial year.
Higgerson also noted a strategic shift in performance metrics, moving away from traditional page view counts toward measuring “active engaged time” to better capture reader interaction and value. He indicated that editorial leadership will tailor changes specifically to their titles to expand reach, enhance journalism quality, and boost conversion rates to paid subscriptions.
The company has initiated a minimum 45-day consultation period with affected employees and is exploring opportunities for redeployment to minimize compulsory redundancies. These latest developments come on the heels of previous voluntary redundancy schemes and operational adjustments, including the closure of two print production sites earlier this year, which affected nearly 240 workers.
Overall, Reach’s restructuring underscores the broader challenges facing the news publishing industry as it adapts to shifting audience habits, competitive pressures, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence on content consumption.