Times Newspapers Limited

Times Newspapers Limited
Name	Times Newspapers Limited
Foundation	0 1981
Location	London, United Kingdom
Industry	Newspaper publishing
Parent	News UK

Contents

History
Publications
Corporate structure and ownership
Legal and regulatory issues
Digital operations and strategy
See also

Times Newspapers Limited. It is the publisher of The Times and The Sunday Times, two of the United Kingdom's most influential and long-standing national newspapers. The company operates as a subsidiary of News UK, which is ultimately owned by the global media conglomerate News Corp, controlled by the Murdoch family. Its headquarters are located at The News Building in London Bridge.

History

The modern entity was incorporated in 1981 when the parent company, News International, formally separated the titles from the historic Times Newspapers group. This followed the contentious acquisition of the papers by Rupert Murdoch's organisation in 1981, a deal that prompted an investigation by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and led to certain editorial independence guarantees. The history of its flagship titles, however, stretches back centuries; The Times was founded in 1785 by John Walter as *The Daily Universal Register*, while The Sunday Times began publication in 1821. Key historical moments include the production of the Penny Press edition in the 19th century, the reporting during both World War I and World War II, and the move from Printing House Square to Wapping in 1986 during the bitter Wapping dispute with print unions.

Publications

The company's primary publications are the daily broadsheet The Times and the Sunday broadsheet The Sunday Times, which maintain distinct editorial teams and identities. The Times is known for its establishment readership and coverage of politics, notably through columns by figures like former editor William Rees-Mogg. The Sunday Times is renowned for its expansive news review sections and its pioneering Insight investigative team, which broke the Thalidomide scandal story. Both newspapers publish numerous supplements, including *The Times Literary Supplement* (until its sale in 2018), *The Sunday Times Magazine*, and *The Sunday Times Rich List*, an annual survey of wealth in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also produces a range of digital-only content and newsletters.

Corporate structure and ownership

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of News UK, the British operating arm of News Corp. News Corp is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ and the Australian Securities Exchange, with effective control held by the Murdoch family through a dual-class share structure. Key executives have included former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and long-serving editors like Harold Evans of *The Sunday Times* and Simon Jenkins of *The Times*. Its main operational rivals in the British media landscape include DMG Media, publisher of the Daily Mail, and the Guardian Media Group, publisher of The Guardian.

Legal and regulatory issues

It has been involved in several high-profile legal and regulatory matters. These include the protracted legal battles over the Spycatcher memoirs in the 1980s and the publication of extracts from the Hitler Diaries, later revealed as forgeries. The company was deeply implicated in the News International phone hacking scandal, which led to the closure of its sister paper, the News of the World, and resulted in the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics. It has also faced numerous defamation suits, including cases brought by public figures such as Jeffrey Archer and Elton John, and operates under the regulatory oversight of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

Digital operations and strategy

A central pillar of its modern strategy is the digital subscription model for its website and apps, known as Times+. This paywall was instituted in 2010 under then News Corporation chief executive Robert Thomson, making it a pioneer among British general news publishers. The digital portfolio includes dedicated offerings like the educational resource Times Educational Supplement and the crossword platform. The company invests significantly in data analytics and audience engagement tools, competing directly with digital offerings from the Financial Times, The New York Times, and the BBC. Its digital content often features exclusive multimedia projects and podcasts.