The Guardian plots U.S. expansion following record revenue year
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The Guardian is hiring for more than a dozen new editorial roles to support its U.S. expansion after growing its overall revenue year-over-year by 25%, a source familiar with its plans told Axios.
Why it matters: U.K. publications are scrambling to tap into America's lucrative subscription and advertising markets, but The Guardian has found unprecedented success from reader revenue, or donations.
- That momentum suggests that progressive U.S. readers are eager for The Guardian's global perspective amid a chaotic domestic news cycle.
By the numbers: The Guardian US is expected to report in coming months that it earned $65 million in revenue last fiscal year which ended in March, according to a source familiar with its finances.
- It's also expected to report that revenue from reader contributions made up around 68% of its total U.S. business last year, or around $44 million — a new record.
- The rest of its U.S. business last year included around $20 million in advertising and $2 million in philanthropic funding, the source said.
- The paper saw notable reader revenue increases following President Trump's inauguration, and after publications with traditionally left-leaning opinion pages, like the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, said they would pulling back on presidential endorsements.
State of play: The Guardian's editor-in-chief Katharine Viner told staffers in a presentation last week that the company's U.S. expansion plan focuses on building the outlet's presence in Washington, D.C., according to a Guardian staffer.
- In addition to hiring new political journalists, it plans to launch its first-ever U.S. daily news podcast from its New York headquarters. It will add a media reporter and its first-ever science reporter to chronicle shifts in the news landscape and science industry, respectively, under the Trump administration.
- The Guardian also plans to expand its soccer coverage significantly ahead of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
On the business side, Viner said the company plans to bring its product review site The Filter, stateside, expanding its U.S. business into affiliate commerce.
- The paper is also beginning to discuss ways it can host more live events during the World Cup.
What they're saying: A spokesperson didn't push back on the aforementioned numbers.
- "This is the latest step in The Guardian's plan to be more global, more digital and more reader-funded," they said.
Catch up quick: The Guardian first established a U.S. presence a little over a decade ago, but expansion efforts really began to ramp up following the pandemic.
- It added a slew of C-suite leaders to oversee its U.S. presence, including former Time executive Steve Sachs as managing director and former editor-in-chief for The Intercept Betsy Reed as its U.S. editor.
- Under Reed, The Guardian US formed an investigations team, a dedicated U.S. soccer desk and expanded its coverage of news-adjacent topics, like wellness.
Zoom out: The Guardian joins a long list of U.K.-based publications expanding in the U.S., including Reach, The Financial Times, Hello! magazine, The Sun, The Spectator and The Daily Mail.
- One outlet that's found success reaching U.S. audiences has been the BBC, which has seen U.S. traffic increase significantly with the revamp of its website.
- The BBC's success shows that there is ample opportunity for U.K. outlets like The Guardian to reach U.S. readers with a global perspective.
