News Media Association

What News Media Association does

The News Media Association (NMA) is the UK trade body representing national, regional and local news publishers, formed in November 2014 through the merger of the Newspaper Society (founded 1836) and the Newspaper Publishers Association (founded 1906). Headquartered in London at the offices of Crowe LLP with a 1–10 employee team, the NMA operates as a non-profit, membership-controlled industry association serving as the unified voice of a £4–6 billion UK news media sector that reaches 45.9 million adults monthly across approximately 800 local titles. Its core activities are policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, and industry services — including lobbying on digital markets competition, AI and copyright, press freedom, SLAPP reform, and the sustainability of local journalism. Members include major publishing groups such as Reach plc, Newsquest, and Tindle Newspapers.

The NMA's only direct product is the Public Notice Portal (publicnoticeportal.uk), an award-winning searchable online platform for statutory public notices developed by Reach plc with funding from the Google News Initiative; the portal received 43,000 registered users and was expanded in May 2026 with new consultation feedback and archive services, plus a bespoke dashboard for local authorities. The NMA also runs the marketing arms Local Media Works and Newsworks, which promote local and national news media to advertisers, and coordinates high-reach industry campaigns such as Journalism Matters and Make it Fair (which reached 11.2 million people on its first day in 2025). The association played a material role in the CMA's 2025 Strategic Market Status designation of Google and the imposition of enforceable Conduct Requirements for Google Search.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring membership dues from publishers; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via direct inquiry. Distribution is primarily direct membership sales for advocacy services, with the Public Notice Portal functioning as a self-serve public-facing platform and Local Media Works / Newsworks acting as channel/reseller mechanisms for advertising across the member network. The organization reported its 2024 acquisition of Newsbrands Scotland and was recognized by HM King Charles on its 10th anniversary, reflecting its position as the sector's principal representative body.

Name

News Media Association

Legal name

NMA Ltd

Website

https://newsmediauk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The News Media Association is a UK trade association representing national, regional, and local news publishers. Founded in 2014 from the merger of the Newspaper Society and Newspaper Publishers Association, it advocates on digital markets, AI copyright, and press freedom, and operates the Public Notice Portal for statutory notices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Industry trade association
• News media advocacy
• Publisher representation
• Public notice services
• Media policy lobbying

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: The NMA generates revenue through membership fees paid by news publishers (national, regional, and local). Members include large publishing groups such as Reach plc, Newsquest, Tindle Newspapers, and others. Membership provides access to advocacy services, industry information, best practice sharing, and collective representation on regulatory and policy matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The News Media Association (NMA) is a UK industry trade body that represents and advocates on behalf of national, regional, and local news publishers. It provides collective policy advocacy, regulatory representation, and member services including industry campaigns (Journalism Matters, Make it Fair), marketing support via Local Media Works and Newsworks, and operates the Public Notice Portal — a searchable online platform for public notices.

Product overview

The News Media Association (NMA) is a trade organization representing UK news publishers rather than a product company. Its primary product offering is the Public Notice Portal (PNP), a searchable online platform for public notices developed by local news media and funded by the Google News Initiative. The NMA also promotes member services including audience measurement, editorial press facilities, newsprint and environmental concerns, newspaper distribution, and technical matters. The organization runs advocacy campaigns including Make it Fair, Journalism Matters, and various local media initiatives through Local Media Works and Newsworks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Notice Portal A fully searchable online platform for public notices published in local newspapers, designed to deepen public engagement with local democracy by making statutory public notices more accessible through local news brands' digital audiences. Used by members of the public, local authorities, and government bodies.
• Local Media Works Industry marketing body promoting local news media to advertisers, providing key statistics, testimonials, case studies, and the Local Media Works database for searching local news brands. Helps facilitate advertising sales for local publishers.
• Newsworks Industry marketing body promoting national news brands to advertisers, providing research on advertising effectiveness, audience engagement, and cross-platform newsbrand reach.
• Journalism Matters Campaign Annual awareness campaign highlighting the societal value of journalism, including the Making a Difference showcase and awards where the public votes for favourite news media campaigns.
• Make it Fair Campaign Industry-wide advocacy campaign uniting news media publishers and creators to oppose government AI copyright changes, advocating for fair compensation for content used in AI training.
• Policy Advocacy and Member Representation Core membership service providing collective policy advocacy and regulatory representation to UK news media publishers on issues including digital markets, AI and copyright, press freedom, sustainability of local journalism, and media regulation.

Quantifiable outcome

• The NMA's Make it Fair campaign reached 11.2 million people in its first day (2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Reach plccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Reach plc conducted the 18-month development of the Public Notice Portal's new features, including the consultation function and searchable archive. As a major NMA member, Reach represents one of the UK's largest local news publishers contributing to industry innovation.
• Local PublisherscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Local publishers across the UK provided continuing support for PNP development and are funding a major advertising campaign to promote the new services in local news titles. Publishers benefit from the platform strengthening the statutory link between public notices and local news media.
• Public Notice Portal Advisory StakeholderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026The Public Notice Portal received explicit government support, with the Local Media Action Plan referencing PNP as a key platform for communities to access public notices. Minister Stephanie Peacock MP commended the industry innovation and collaboration.
• FareSharestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Tindle Newspapers partnered with FareShare food redistribution charity, donating £100,000 worth of advertising space across newspapers, websites and digital streams. The partnership amplified FareShare's mission to redistribute surplus food to over 8,000 frontline charities and community groups.
• Newsbrands ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024The NMA and Newsbrands Scotland announced a landmark merger in December 2024, uniting the voice of UK publishers to strengthen advocacy for trusted journalism across the UK. This expanded the NMA's coverage to include Scottish publishers.
• AmazonstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon partnered with Reach's proprietary ad tech Mantis to leverage contextual customer data for more targeted and relevant online advertising. This partnership is among the first of its kind in Europe, using AI-powered brand safety technology for advertising precision.
• WaymarkstrategicTechnology or IntegrationNational World partnered with Waymark, a company using AI video creation technology, to allow National World's digital and regional news outlets to sell affordable video ads to local businesses. Waymark's technology enables creation of high-quality commercials with professional voice-over in under five minutes.
• Google News Initiative / FT StrategiesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerInverness Courier joined Google News Initiative and FT Strategies programs to jumpstart digital transformation, implementing a paywall and exploring new audience engagement methods.
• NSPCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewsquest partnered with NSPCC for the charity's 140th anniversary year, supporting campaigns including 'Not Letting Go', 'Listen Up Speak Up', and 'Childhood Day'. The partnership delivered over 25 million digital display impressions monthly and 4,600+ articles in print.
• BBCstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC Local News Partnership announced in 2016 sees BBC invest £8 million annually in initiatives including 150 Local Democracy Reporters employed by local papers, shared data journalism unit, and facility allowing local news providers access to local BBC material.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Canadian Newspaper Association / News Media Canada: The Canadian trade association representing newspaper and digital news publishers. Performs a functionally equivalent advocacy and industry-promotion role for the Canadian market, comparable to NMA's UK mission.

Direct peers

• Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) UK: UK industry body providing audited circulation and audience data for newspapers and magazines. Provides infrastructure services (auditing, standards) that complement NMA's advocacy mission and serve the same publisher members.
• Newsworks: The UK marketing body promoting national news brands to advertisers, co-promoted by NMA. Operates as a closely allied industry body with overlapping membership and complementary mission (commercial promotion vs. regulatory advocacy).
• Association of Online Publishers (AOP): UK industry body representing digital publisher members on policy, regulation, and best practice. Overlaps with NMA on digital markets and AI policy, with some shared membership among large digital-first and legacy news brands.
• Society of Editors: UK membership organization for editors, focused on press freedom, ethics, and journalism standards. Adjacent trade body in the UK news ecosystem, with overlapping policy interests and audience (editors at NMA's publisher members).
• Local Media Works: NMA's own marketing initiative promoting local news media to advertisers, run as an industry body with its own database and case studies. Effectively a sister organization within the NMA umbrella, focused on commercial promotion of local news brands.
• News Media Alliance: The US trade association representing news publishers, performing the same collective advocacy, lobbying, and policy coordination role for American newspapers and digital publishers that NMA performs in the UK. Direct functional peer across the Atlantic.
• Professional Publishers Association (PPA): UK trade association for magazine and business media publishers, providing advocacy, events, and training. Adjacent industry body covering consumer and specialist publishing, with similar membership and advocacy functions.

Broad incumbents

• WAN-IFRA: The World Association of News Publishers, a global industry organization representing 3,000+ news publishers across 120 countries. Operates at a broader, international scale than NMA and includes UK members, with overlapping policy work on press freedom and digital markets.

Emerging players

• Digital Content Next (DCN): US-based trade association focused specifically on digital content publishers. Represents a narrower, digital-first peer group to NMA's broader print-and-digital UK membership, with comparable advocacy and policy work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newsmediaorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/news-media-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about News Media Association