The publisher of the Daily Record, Aberdeen Live and more than 100 other news brands has reported falling revenues after a sharp decline in traffic from Google continued to weigh on its digital business.
Reach plc said revenues fell 9% to £232.9million in the first half of 2026, while digital revenues dropped 11.4% to £54.2million as lower referral traffic from Google drove a 40% year-on-year fall in on-platform page views.
Despite the decline, the company said it remained on course to meet full-year market expectations after cutting costs more aggressively than planned. Adjusted operating profit slipped 4.1% to £43million, while operating margins improved to 18.5%.
Chief executive Piers North said: "We are on track to deliver on market expectations for the year and remain confident in our ability to navigate uncertainty. We will maintain financial discipline and strategic focus through this period, until our pension deficit payments are due to end in 2028.
"Guided by our strategic priorities, we are building a stronger business by investing in digital subscriptions and video, securing greater independence from referral traffic. Our future will be less about volume and more about original content, distinctive brands and securing better returns."
Print revenues fell 8.3% to £178million, although the company said advertising performed better than expected during the World Cup.
FSTE100
The UK's flagship share index, the FTSE 100, was down 46 points at 10,486 shortly after opening this morning.
Brent crude oil futures were up 1.93%, sitting at $92.79 a barrel this morning.
Companies reporting today
- Alphabet - Q2 Results
- Fresnillo- Half Year Production Report
- Greencore - Q3 Trading Statement
- Hochschild Mining - Q2 Production Results
- J D Wetherspoon - Q4 Trading Statement
- Tesla - Q2 Results