Morning Star

What Morning Star does

Morning Star is a reader-owned cooperative daily newspaper published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1931 under the People's Press Printing Society (PPPS). It is the country's only daily socialist newspaper and is headquartered in Croydon, London, with 377 employees. The publication produces a daily print edition, a website, and email products covering UK and international politics, labour movements, and social issues from a left-wing perspective, and it serves trade union members, political activists, campaigners, and left-leaning general readers.

The publication's business model is structurally distinct from commercial media: it operates as a non-profit cooperative in which readers can purchase shares, with no external equity investors, no M&A activity, and no funding rounds. Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of digital subscriptions (Basic at £55/year and Premium at £220/year), print subscriptions priced between £7.60 and £11.20 per week, advertising, share purchases, merchandise sales, 501 Club membership, and donations via the Fighting Fund, which raises over £200,000 per year. Growth and reinvestment are funded through reader loyalty and contributions rather than external capital.

The cooperative is also a node in a wider ecosystem of partnerships and ancillary services. It offers subscriber benefits including free will-writing through law firm partners (Britton & Time, Thompsons Solicitors), operates a job listings board and a merchandise shop, runs a Daily Alert email product, and maintains charitable initiatives such as the Phoenix Space Gaza scholarship programme. Distribution spans print, web, and email, and the publication marked its 95th anniversary in 2025, reflecting operational continuity rather than a recent growth inflection.

Name

Morning Star

Legal name

Morning Star

Website

https://morningstaronline.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Morning Star is a reader-owned cooperative daily newspaper founded in 1931 in the UK, publishing print and digital editions of political and labour coverage for trade union members, activists, and left-wing readers under the People's Press Printing Society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Daily Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA), Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Daily newspaper publishing
• Left-wing journalism
• Reader-owned cooperative
• News subscription services
• Trade union coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon, London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Annual, monthly, and weekly digital subscriptions providing access to website content and digital edition. Premium tier includes back issues access and Daily Alert email.
2. Print Subscriptions: Home delivery service and voucher-based collection from retail stores. Weekly postal delivery available where direct delivery is not possible.
3. Fighting Fund Donations: Uniquely relies on readers to help fund the paper by raising over £200,000 a year through monthly Fighting Fund donations.
4. Advertising: Print and online advertising space sold to advertisers. Contact via [email protected].
5. Share Purchases: Minimum shareholding of 1 share at £10 in People's Press Printing Society. Money from shares contributes directly to the paper.
6. 501 Club Membership: Monthly membership at £5 per month with chance to win £501 prize. Club pays out 17 prizes every month ranging from £25 to £501.
7. Merchandise Shop: Online shop selling Morning Star merchandise including clothing and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Morning Star is a daily British newspaper published in print and digital formats, providing left-wing news coverage across politics, world affairs, editorial, features, culture, and sport. The newspaper operates as a reader-owned cooperative under the People's Press Printing Society, offering subscription-based access to its journalism through digital subscriptions, print home delivery, retail voucher collection, and a daily email newsletter.

Product overview

Morning Star is a reader-owned cooperative newspaper offering multiple distribution channels: a daily printed newspaper (available via home delivery, voucher collection, or postal subscription), digital subscriptions (Basic and Premium tiers providing online access to all content), and email newsletters (Daily Alert). Additional services include a merchandise shop, job listings board, advertising services, and a free will-writing partnership service. The publication covers news across Britain, World, Editorial, Features, Culture, and Sport sections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Morning Star Digital Subscription Online subscription providing access to all stories and features on the Morning Star website, including the Daily Alert email. Available in Basic tier (£55/year for unlimited website access and Daily Alert) and Premium tier (£220/year for daily digital edition, back issues access, and Daily Alert). Monthly and weekly billing options also available.
• Morning Star Print Edition Printed daily newspaper available for home delivery (from £11.20/week), in-store voucher collection (from £7.60/week), or postal delivery across the UK where direct delivery is not possible. Gift print subscriptions available from £7.60/week.
• Daily Alert Email Newsletter Daily email newsletter delivering the latest Morning Star news directly to readers worldwide, with additional Arts and Culture alerts available. Included as part of Basic and Premium digital subscription packages.
• Morning Star Merchandise Shop Online e-commerce store selling Morning Star branded merchandise including clothing and accessories to readers and supporters worldwide.
• Advertising Services Print and online advertising placement services for events, messages, and commercial offers. Sold to advertisers seeking access to Morning Star's engaged left-wing readership. Contact via [email protected].
• 501 Club Membership Monthly membership at £5 per month with chance to win £501 prize. Club pays out 17 prizes every month ranging from £25 to £501. Contact: [email protected].

Quantifiable outcome

• 175,000+ petition signatures collected through Morning Star coverage campaigns
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Britton & TimeminorOthersFree will-writing service partnership providing estate planning services to Morning Star readers in England and Wales. Contact: 020 3007 5500.
• Thompsons SolicitorsminorOthersFree will-writing service partnership for Morning Star readers in Scotland, providing estate planning services.
• Phoenix SpaceminorOthersEducation charity organizing Scholarships for Gaza auction. Morning Star ambassador Maxine Peake among 23+ celebrities donating items for Gaza students accepted by British universities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Independent: The Independent is a UK national newspaper that has shifted to a digital-first model. It competes with the Morning Star for British news consumers and offers a similar mix of politics, world news, and culture, though at much greater scale.
• The Guardian: The Guardian is a major UK national newspaper with a centre-left editorial perspective. It serves as a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping readership in progressive British audiences, though it operates at significantly greater scale across general and political news.

Emerging players

• Novara Media: Novara Media is a UK digital-native left-wing media company producing news, video, and podcasts. It reaches the same progressive audience as the Morning Star but competes primarily through digital and social channels rather than print.
• openDemocracy: openDemocracy is a UK-based independent online news platform covering progressive politics, investigative journalism, and social justice. It targets the same left-leaning reader segment as the Morning Star but operates as a digital-native publisher.
• The Canary: The Canary is a UK independent left-leaning digital news outlet. It serves the same progressive political audience as the Morning Star through online news, opinion, and analysis, competing for digital advertising and reader attention.
• Byline Times: Byline Times is an independent UK news outlet focused on investigative journalism and progressive politics. It competes with the Morning Star for left-wing and independent-minded British readers, especially through digital channels.
• LabourList: LabourList is a UK Labour-aligned political news and commentary site. It serves the same Labour-leaning British audience as the Morning Star, focusing on Labour Party politics and progressive coverage through digital channels.

Direct peers

• Socialist Worker: Socialist Worker is a UK left-wing publication offering socialist political news and analysis. It directly competes with the Morning Star for the same core readership of trade unionists, activists, and left-wing readers seeking alternative perspectives to mainstream media.
• Tribune: Tribune is a British socialist magazine with historical roots in the Labour left. It overlaps with the Morning Star's left-wing political coverage and readership, though it operates as a magazine rather than a daily newspaper.

Regional players

• The Big Issue: The Big Issue is a UK independent street newspaper with a social mission. While not directly ideologically aligned, it shares a similar alternative-media, mission-driven model and reaches socially conscious British readers through print and digital channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/M_Star_Online
• Facebookfacebook.com/morningstaronline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/morning-star

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 Morning Star