Independent's takeover talks with owners of news brands, Buzzfeed and HuffPost

16 February 2024 , 10:42

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The independent, which published its last print edition in 2016, is in talks with BuzzFeed and HuffPost about a possible takeover (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

The Independent is in talks with the owners of BuzzFeed and HuffPost in the UK about possibly taking over the two online news brands.

If a deal goes through, the London-based newspaper company could control the US media group BuzzFeed in the UK, which includes other brands like Seasoned, Tasty and HuffPost UK. This potential takeover was first reported by the Financial Times and would bring together two media groups that once challenged the traditional news landscape.

The Independent started printing in 1986 and at one point in the early 1990s, its weekday print distribution was higher than that of The Times, reaching nearly 390,000. It was popular with younger readers.

However, in the late 1990s, the group began to lose ground, partly due to a price war among broadsheet newspapers. It was the first UK broadsheet to start printing in a tabloid format and went fully online from 2016.

BuzzFeed was founded in the US in 2006 as an online-only operation and, like the Indy, appealed to younger readers. Known for its listicles and online quizzes, the media group also produced a series of hard-hitting investigative news stories during its peak.

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But last year, the company announced it would shut down BuzzFeed News and instead focus its news efforts on the Huffington Post, which it has owned since 2020. If the deal goes through, workers from the titles would move to the Independent's London office, as reported by the Financial Times. BuzzFeed's shares in the US closed up nearly 38% yesterday after the news was announced.

Lawrence Matheson