It’s the first genuinely ‘new’ newspaper to arrive on Britain’s streets in 30 years, emerging after market research suggested there was a need to deliver a truly modern, easy to digest daily, in print. All of which sounds familiar.
And in some ways it is. Trinity Mirror, the publishing giant behind The New Day, could be accused of jumping on technicalities when it comes to promoting its new product. The i was supposed to provide time-starved folk with everything they needed to know about current affairs, and in many ways has been successful. Yet The Indy’s smaller, more affordable sister title, currently in the process of being bought out by Johnston Press amid the demise of the Independent, merely borrows stories from its big sibling, rather than making its own.
In contrast, The New Day is editorially autonomous, with a dedicated staff base and complete control over content. The first issue went on sale this morning, priced at just 25p (albeit that’s set to jump to 50p after the first fortnight). Those responsible for the launch are hoping to turn around print’s ailing fortunes, citing more than 1million lost readers in the last two years alone that, apparently, can be lured back. The belief is their departure isn’t because people don’t want print, but because of print’s refusal to experiment and progress beyond a model now many decades old.
This fresh launch is not a red top, we’re told. Nor is it aimed at the i’s established readership. Judging from first impressions, parent title The Mirror’s left-leaning stance is absent, and is likely to remain that way as editor, Alison Phillips, and her team have been charged with reporting in an ‘upbeat, optimistic and politically neutral’ manner. But will it work?
Of course nobody can predict the future, so we’ll have to see. For now, though, here’s our quick fire analysis, arming you and your brand(s) with everything there is to know about The New Day, from content to presence.
The basics 
*The New Day will be sold in 40,000 outlets across the U.K., targeting modern professionals who, according to focus groups conducted by its owners, only have around 30-minutes a day to read.
*The newspaper is not supported by its own website, and there are no plans to create a unique domain, yet.
*The newspaper does have a social media presence- both on Twitter [@thenewdayUK] and Facebook [thenewdayUK]
The content, layout and approach
The format is a clean design, somewhere between Berliner and tabloid, with diverse stories often sharing a single page.
There are no celebrity columnists in the 40-page publication, and perhaps the most interesting feature of its layout is the way in which conflicting opinions share page space. For example, yesterday’s inaugural edition ran a feature on the so-called ‘snoopers’ charter’, with writer and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown given room to explain why she thinks this is intrusive, and TalkRADIO presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer giving a counterpoint on why this is essential.
This idea is repeated on several pages. Here’s what else you need to know:
The New Day is news heavy, and feature heavy at that, it includes:
*2 facing pages on ‘News Essentials’, basically a series of news in brief stories from around the world.
*Double page long lead report, named Top Story.
*Share It – a page dedicated to reader opinions
*The Big Question – single page looking at current issues facing Britain (e.g. the ‘snoopers’ charter’)
*Everyone’s Talking About – 2 pages on celebrity, alternative news stories, social media stories and lighter news in brief
*2 pages on The News Story of the day – longer lead piece along the lines of The Big Question, but with public opinion running alongside the editorial
*Health news – 1 page
*Opinioneers – First issue was celebrity focused
*Sport – 4 pages, not separated from the other content but interspersed including a double page on sporting opinion
*People news – 1 page of real life stories
*The Bigger Picture – beautiful double page photograph, a little like The Guardian’s Picture of The Day
*Behind the News – Vox pop led story, 2 pages
*3 Minute Update – 1 page of news in brief
*Life Out Loud – 1 page written by celebrity or entertainer, issue one was comedian Russell Kane who is currently on tour
*New Thoughts and Stars – 1 page of writing on relationships/personal issues with the day’s star signs
*11 Days In The Life Of – Half page focussing on an individual member of the public
*Life Today – Advice on ‘better living’ (i.e. personal finance, home improvements etc); 2 pages
*Brain Escape – 1 page of puzzles
*5 Smiles – uplifting, humorous and lighthearted stories; 1 page
*Stories In Action – Picture/infographic led single page, first issue looked at ‘Leaps of Faith’; inventions that were shocking or out of the box at the time
*9 Things To Live Today – recipe, book, app, live music, shopping and TV recommendations; 1 page
*The Big Read – 2 page in-depth feature report on serious hard news
*First and Final Words – Weather, visual quiz, riddle, single climate-related picture, poetry quote