Scoop: The Guardian posts record U.S. revenue of $81M
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Guardian's U.S. operation generated more than $81 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, its highest level since launching in the U.S. 15 years ago, according to an internal presentation obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Strategic investments in its U.S. business have helped The Guardian tap political news demand in America through reader donations.
Zoom in: The outlet's nonprofit structure, combined with its global perspective and commitment to free access, has helped usher in an unprecedented level of reader donations from the U.S., Guardian Media Group CEO Anna Bateson told Axios last month.
- Digital reader donations make up most (70.7%) of the annual revenues for The Guardian U.S., according to the presentation. Advertising makes up around a quarter.
- The vast majority of reader donations are recurring, Bateson said, which means they function much like subscriptions or memberships.
By the numbers: The Guardian's revenue has increased 25% annually for the past two fiscal years, according to the presentation. Profits increased 56% (2025) and 41% (2026).
- In addition to growing its top line, The Guardian U.S. also saw its most profitable fiscal year ever, which ended on March 31.
- The outlet exceeded $34 million in "contributions" to the company, which is its measure of profit. (The Guardian's U.S. division relies on its U.K. parent to cover some central costs, such as product and engineering, which helps support its margins.)
Zoom out: The Guardian represents a unique growth story at a time when traditional media is consolidating.
- Beginning around 2022, the company made a strategic decision to invest in the U.S. market, hiring a new U.S.-based leadership team to oversee its expansion editorially and commercially.
- It has since hired more than 100 people, expanding its newsroom from 75 to 150 and its business team from 25 to more than 50.
The big picture: While most major U.K. publications are expanding to the U.S., with hopes of tapping America's lucrative subscription and advertising markets, The Guardian has carved a niche in chasing reader donations.
- The Telegraph was acquired by Axel Springer, the German parent to Politico and Business Insider, in a £575 million cash deal in March.
- The Daily Mail, a traffic juggernaut, hired its first president for North America last year as a part of a broader revenue growth push.
Reality check: For The Guardian, a successful U.S. expansion was critical to its continued existence.
- It wasn't long ago that the nonprofit — which is owned by a trust committed to the outlet's progressive mission — was losing tens of millions of pounds annually.
- A decade ago, only 8% of The Guardian's reader revenue came from outside the U.K., the outlet's U.S. managing director Steve Sachs said on "The Rebooting" podcast last month. Today, it's more than 40%.
What's next: The Guardian anticipates bringing in nearly $100 million in revenue for its current fiscal year, which will end March 31, 2027, per the presentation.
- It plans to add 20 more positions in the coming year, mostly across video, visuals, photo and design.
- Those positions will be critical to the outlet's expansion of coverage beyond politics and hard news and into subjects where it has authority that its U.S. audience increasingly cares about, such as the World Cup and soccer.
