The UK’s biggest news and information businesses are growing again.
Across the table, the top 50 reported revenues were up by £1.1bn year-on-year, with 29 companies growing, 17 declining and four flat according to research by Press Gazette.
Manchester-based Auto Trader Group narrowly missed out on a top-10 placing. The company posted £601.1m in revenue (full year to March 2025), leaving the tech giant 11th in the rankings.
For a business that has long since outgrown its roots as a classified magazine, its position is a reminder that “media” revenue is increasingly being driven by platforms built around marketplaces, content and data, as much as traditional publishing.
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Further up the table, while Channel 4 can hardly be described as a Northern brand, its national HQ in Leeds means it could arguably be considered the region’s highest-placed media organisation. Press Gazette ranks it in 8th place with £1.04bn in revenue (full year to December 2024). While its operations remain distributed across the UK, the broadcaster’s Leeds base underlines how national media organisations are increasingly operating through multi-hub UK structures, rather than a single London centre.
Further down the rankings, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo publisher Reach sits 13th with £518.4m in revenue (full year to December 2025), down one place year-on-year following a decline in revenue. This week, the publisher’s CEO told the same publication that traffic from its biggest refferrer – Google Discover – had tanked 50% in the last half of 2025.
Elsewhere, The Northern Echo publisher Newsquest came in at number 25 with £186.1m in revenue (full-year to December 2024). The group has a deep roster of regional brands – including titles such as The Bolton News and Lancashire Telegraph – and other long-established names across the North.
News publisher National World was listed at number 35 with total revenue of £96m (full-year to September 2025). Now named Iconic under its new owner Media Concierge, the publisher has 150 regional newsbrands in the UK and Ireland including The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post and Lancashire Post.
Manchester-based LBG Media (LADbible, UNILAD and others) also made the top 50 coming in at 36, reporting £92m revenue (full-year to September 2025) and pointing to its push to grow more direct advertiser relationships — a model shift that’s become increasingly important for digital publishers navigating platform dependency.
Scottish-based DC Thomson jumped four in the top 50. DC Thomson climbed from 30th place to 26th, having changed its measure of revenue to include new income from its investment portfolio and pension assets. This meant annual revenue increased from £134.5m to £158m.
