EL PAÍS surpasses 180,000 subscriptions

• In the less than two years since the subscription model was rolled out, the newspaper has achieved a growth rate higher than that of most of the world’s leading newspapers and has positioned itself as the market leader nationally.
• EL PAÍS continues to see sustained growth in the number of subscriptions, with an average growth of 6,000 new subscribers per month since its redesign.

EL PAÍS surpassed 180,000 subscriptions in January, giving it a wide market lead in Spain. The newspaper's publishing company rolled out its paid subscription model less than two years ago in the midst of the pandemic and, over the ensuing 21 months, the newspaper has laid the foundations for a sustainable future based on a solid community of EL PAÍS readers. Performance has exceeded all expectations. In an unprecedented era for journalism, dominated by the twin health and economic crises brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the public has grown to see the true value of rigorous news and information and to appreciate the public service provided by the quality press.

The rate of subscriber growth enjoyed by EL PAÍS over the past two years is higher than that of most of the world’s major newspapers. Average subscriber numbers among Europe’s leading news titles after the first two years is typically in the region 70,000, with the figure rising to around 150,000 in Latin America.

Most EL PAÍS subscriptions – just over 143,000 – are to the exclusively digital newspaper. The rest, up to the total of 182,000, are subscriptions to the print edition (these readers can also register their subscription online) and to Kiosko y Más, the digital version of the print edition.

This growth has gone hand-in-hand with product improvements, both in terms of content and in the user experience. On October 2, EL PAÍS launched an ambitious redesign that marked the culmination of the strategic shift set in motion by the roll out of the subscriptions model. The newspaper debuted a brand new look, while the  structure of content became more focused on bringing order and clarity to the flood of news and information that bombards us daily. Since then, close to 25,000 more readers have joined as subscribers, at an average of close to 6,000 per month. This renewed pace of growth followed a wildly successful launch in May 2020 and a subsequent post-launch slowdown.

"Our subscription management model, together with high-quality content, is allowing us to accelerate the acquisition and retention of subscribers, beating all existing records among other titles in the less than two years since the launch of the paywall," says Carlos. Núñez, executive chair of PRISA Media.

An unshakeable commitment to quality

There has been little or no respite from the coronavirus pandemic during this time, even if the scale and consequences have varied from wave to wave. The sixth wave, which has seen the omicron variant spreading rapidly among the world’s population, the eruption of the volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain and a string of elections in Latin America have captured the attention of our readers and these stories undoubtedly strongly influenced their decision to become subscribers. Reports on topics such as child abuse had a profound impact on readers and EL PAÍS investigations into the matter prompted reactions in the corridors of power powers and from legal authorities. Equally important were the confidential documents on Ukraine that the newspaper published last Wednesday. A winning combination of rigorous journalism from the largest newsroom in Spain, constant improvement and innovation in formats, technology and revamped mobile applications are part of the newspaper’s recipe for success.

Readers of the newspaper are finding more and more visual and explanatory reports, audio stories, investigative podcasts and eye-opening surveys that provide invaluable sociological data. "The constant increase in subscribers is testament to the value that the public places on quality journalism, that is rigorous, independent and transparent," explains the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief Pepa Bueno. “It also highlights how important it is that journalists who tell the news truly think about our audience: that we keep in mind how readers seek out news and how they read it  today. And it shows how important our journalists and contributors are, skilled as they are at rising above the media noise to take a calm and measured look at news, analysis and context," she added.

Since the last week of January, subscribers to EL PAÍS can avail of 100% exclusive content, as the newspaper’s model evolves to offer standout stories, in-depth, analysis and opinion, major interviews, multimedia and pieces penned by renowned contributors. In addition, EL PAÍS is developing a range of newsletters aimed exclusively at subscribers, such as A Letter from Pepa Bueno, every Friday, a daily opinion-piece preview, Kiko Llaneras's newsletter and Maravillosa jugada, Leontxo García's weekly newsletter on chess. And while readers can, of course, access all the latest news online and stay informed, there’s so much more to being a digital subscriber to EL PAÍS: readers can browse the print edition on the revamped mobile app, follow specific authors and topics, as well as receive exclusives in advance by email and interact with the journalists behind the stories.