Update on Customer Value Strategy

17 December 2020

Reach plc

Significant milestone of 5 million customer registrations achieved

Reach ID trialled in first commercial campaigns 

Reach plc ("Reach", the Company") today updates on progress on its Customer Value Strategy, launched in February of this year:   

●     Over 5 million customers have now registered with Reach across its online newsbrands, newsletters, hyperlocal site InYourArea, and other websites

●     The Reach ID unique identifier that provides data and customer insights across a user's activity with Reach sites has been successfully delivered and is being used in a series of trial advertising campaigns

●     Q4 digital revenue performance is on track to be the highest on record, and expected to exceed 20% year on year growth

Commenting on the news Chief Executive Officer Jim Mullen said:

"With customer registrations significantly ahead of our initial target at 5 million, and our digital revenues continuing to go from strength to strength, we are now focused on the next phase of our strategy, which will utilise enhanced data and insights with the Reach ID being key to that.

We are pleased to deliver the Reach ID, our proprietary customer insight platform, and the early results from these commercial trials show there is a clear opportunity to increase yields from advertising campaigns by offering a more data-led approach.

We will continue to build on the potential of the Reach ID during 2021 with customer insights driving new product innovations and commercial partnerships, offering enhanced value to advertisers through improved returns on campaigns and driving even greater engagement with our content."

Customer Registration Growth

The Reach Customer Value Strategy builds on the Company's leading scale audience - the biggest of any commercial news publisher in the UK.  Over 42 million unique visitors access Reach sites every month - from national brands such as The Mirror, The Express and The Star to leading regional brands, including the Liverpool Echo and Manchester Evening News.

Customer registrations have been a key focus for Reach as these are the first step to securing insights into customer behaviour.  This data is then used to drive improved customer experiences and to offer opportunities to brands to adopt better-targeted campaigns, customer offers and commercial partnerships.  Achieving the 5 million registration milestone is a major step towards reaching the Company's 10 million target by the end of 2022.  Registered customers already show increased loyalty and engagement with Reach sites as they respond to newsletters and updates, access the hyperlocal site InYourArea or register for the opportunity to comment on news stories.

Delivery of Reach ID

The Reach ID is a key element of the Customer Value Strategy as it enables the Company to build a more detailed picture of its users, which in turn will enable enhanced data and customer insights.  These insights will drive improved customer experiences and provide opportunities for brands to launch more targeted campaigns and offers to Reach customers.  The initial trial campaigns ran during November and December and cover a range of sectors from fashion retail to betting and lottery.

Moving forward, Reach will continue to build its offering to brands and agencies during 2021 based on the enhanced data and insight offered by the Reach ID.

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About Reach plc

Reach plc is the largest commercial national and regional news publisher in the UK with a leading portfolio in Ireland. We create engaging, differentiated content which is distributed through newspapers, magazines and digital platforms - playing a central role in our audiences' daily lives.

Our national and regional brands have a long heritage of being trusted sources of the latest news, information, sport and entertainment, offering a range of opportunities to connect brands with consumers.  With one of the biggest monthly multi-platform audiences in the UK and over 5 million registered customers, Reach's national and regional news brands are prominent champions, campaigners and changemakers.

For more information visit www.reachplc.com.