Reach Announces Creation Of Three New Regional ‘Live’ Sites
Reach plc has announced the continued expansion of its digital network of regional news brands, committing to a further three launches in June. New sites confirmed will be NorthantsLive, HampshireLive and SussexLive. The first site to market will be NorthantsLive today (Thursday 4 June).
These three additional sites join 13 news brands added to the live network in the past year – YorkshireLive, AyrshireLive, ChesterfieldLive, Cork Beo, SunderlandLive, County DurhamLive, Newport Online, MyBolton, MyBury, MySalford, TorbayLive, ExeterLive, MansfieldLive, TruroLive and HertsLive.
Reach has already added a WorcestershireLive brand and a CumbriaLive brand during lockdown, both of which sit within existing sites.
The ‘Live’ brand, now used across the majority of the Reach regional network, was first used in 2015 with the creation BelfastLive (1.3 million monthly reach), a title which has experienced growth of 127 per cent year-on-year. (All figures Comscore April 2020).
Other launches followed, including MyLondon (monthly reach 5.6 million), which started in December 2018 and is experiencing monthly growth of 321 per cent year-on-year., as well as Leeds Live (1.2 million monthly reach), which is experiencing monthly growth of 152 per cent year-on-year (Comscore April 2020).
The three new live sites will be staffed by existing Reach employees, who are not only familiar with the Live brand values and approach but will also bring relevant local marketplace knowledge and expertise.
Alan Edmunds, managing director for Regionals at Reach plc, added: “We are building on the success of the Live brand which is now five years old, reaching even more communities across the country. We have a strong track record of delivering trusted journalism to new online audiences and it’s exciting that Reach is making further investment in local news.”