Tuesday, 23 November 2010

i still can't see this lasting

It is now exactly four weeks since the launch of the i - the Independent's cut-price spin-off aimed at the young urban generation. The latest reports suggest that i's initial strong start has already subsided and they are shifting barely 70,000 copies a day.

As I said back in October i is a good product so it is a shame to see it doing badly. I even took advantage of the free coupons i were offering allowing you to get the paper free for a week. My tokens remain unused on the side in the kitchen as no newsagents near me accept them or, indeed, sell the paper in the first place.

It is only a few weeks old so all is not lost but I stand by my initial assessment :

"The young, urban generation has turned its back on print journalism - at least in its paid form. Why would anyone pay 20p for i when they can get a quick digest of the news from The Metro for free?

"I would imagine the editorial team at the Independent have faith in offering a better class of journalism - including a sprinkling of comment - rather than merely reproduced Press Association copy. I have my doubts, not because I don't like the product but because this is journalism produced in the wrong form for i's target audience."

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