The Chronicle

What The Chronicle does

The Chronicle is the North East England's flagship regional newspaper brand, founded in 1885 and now operated as a digital-first news platform called Chronicle Live (chroniclelive.co.uk). It sits within Trinity Mirror North East, a subsidiary of UK media conglomerate Reach plc (LSE: Reach), and serves North East England residents across Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, County Durham, and Tyne & Wear with local news, crime and court reports, politics, sports coverage (with Newcastle United FC and Sunderland AFC as anchor beats), entertainment and What's On guides, lifestyle content, and community updates.

The core product is the chroniclelive.co.uk website, complemented by a print newspaper ("Buy a Paper"), email newsletters, and social media channels on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Distribution is multi-channel: visitors reach the site via organic search, direct traffic, social referrals, newsletters, and a dedicated WhatsApp community for "What's On" content. Adjacent monetization products include Marketplace, Public Notices, Funeral Notices, Jobs (via TotallyLegal), and Directory listings, plus an "Advertise with us" sales funnel.

The business model is a hybrid B2C/B2B regional media operation. Consumer revenue consists of print newspaper subscriptions and limited premium content access, while B2B revenue is driven by display advertising, classifieds, and affiliate listings sold across the Reach plc network. Headcount is reported in the 501-1,000 range, reflecting the combined editorial, sales, and operational staff of the regional title under Reach plc ownership.

Name

The Chronicle

Legal name

Trinity Mirror North East

Website

https://chroniclelive.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Chronicle, founded in 1885 and now operating as Chronicle Live, is a digital-first regional news publisher serving North East England with local news, sports, and lifestyle content under Reach plc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Regional news publishing
• Digital news media
• Local journalism
• Sports news coverage
• Newspaper publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Chronicle, operating digitally as Chronicle Live, publishes regional news, sport, entertainment, and community content for North East England through its website (chroniclelive.co.uk), email newsletters, social media channels, and a print newspaper. It focuses on local news from Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, Sunderland, County Durham, and Tyne & Wear, with particular emphasis on Newcastle United FC coverage, crime and court reporting, and What's On events.

Product overview

Chronicle Live operates as a single digital news platform offering comprehensive regional news coverage for North East England. The platform provides news articles, sports coverage (particularly Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC), entertainment guides, What's On events information, and community content. It integrates with social media channels including WhatsApp communities for content distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chronicle Live Website Chronicle Live (chroniclelive.co.uk) is the digital news platform delivering local news, sport, entertainment, and community content for North East England, including coverage of Newcastle United FC, Sunderland AFC, crime, politics, health, and events. Targeted at residents of North East England seeking regional news coverage.
• Buy a Paper (Print Newspaper)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Liverpool Echo: Another Reach plc regional title serving Merseyside with identical operating model — digital-first local news, sport (Everton/Liverpool FC), court coverage, and lifestyle verticals. Most structurally comparable peer.
• Yorkshire Post: Regional newspaper publisher (National World) covering Yorkshire with a strong digital presence and print heritage. Comparable in scale, regional focus, and transition from print to digital subscription model.
• Northumberland Gazette: Long-established North East weekly newspaper (Newsquest/Reach-adjacent ownership at various points) covering Northumberland specifically — a sub-geography within Chronicle Live's broader North East footprint.
• Manchester Evening News (M.E.N.): A sibling Reach plc regional digital news title covering Greater Manchester with equivalent content verticals (news, football, court, What's On). Directly comparable in structure, parent ownership, monetization, and audience model.
• Birmingham Mail: Reach plc regional title covering the West Midlands with a similar digital-first publishing structure and broad content mix spanning news, football (Aston Villa, Birmingham City), and lifestyle.
• The Journal (Newcastle): Although also serving Newcastle/North East, The Journal operates as part of the same Reach plc cluster; functions as a sister publication covering similar beats with overlapping commercial interests and audiences.
• Teesside Gazette / Evening Gazette: Reach plc regional title serving Teesside and adjacent North East sub-regions. Direct geographic and structural overlap with Chronicle Live's North East England footprint.
• WalesOnline: Reach plc's flagship Welsh regional title operating the same digital-first model for a Welsh audience. Comparable in operating playbook, audience scale, and parent-level economics.

Regional players

• ITV News Tyne Tees: Regional broadcast news provider serving the same North East England geography. Adjacent competitor for local news attention and advertising budgets, though delivering video-led rather than text-led coverage.

Broad incumbents

• BBC North East & Cumbria: Public service broadcaster covering the same North East geography as Chronicle Live. Competes for the same local news audience via broadcast, web, and app, though without commercial subscription or local display ad dependency.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChronicleLive
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewcastleChronicle
• Instagraminstagram.com/newcastlechronicle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newcastlejournal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Chronicle