The Independent, a British national newspaper, will go digital-only starting in March, reported USA Today. ESI Media, publisher of The Independent, said the newspaper is the first British national newspaper to make the move to digital-only. Rapid digital growth, sustainability and profitability are key factors in the reason to go digital-only, said Evgeny Lebedev, owner of The Independent.

“The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves The Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.

“The Independent has always been a pioneering newspaper with a track record of innovation. It has a proud heritage as Britain’s first truly independent national quality title. My family bought and invested heavily in The Independent because we believe in world-class quality journalism, and this move secures the future of these vitally important editorial values,” Lebedev added.

In a separate press release, ESI Media announced that the newspaper’s website, Independent.co.uk, had record traffic in January:

• 3 million unique daily visitors globally, a 19% increase month-over-month
• 70 million unique monthly visitors globally, a 17% increase month-over-month
• UK traffic was up 16% for unique daily visitors and 15% for unique monthly visitors.
• Highest ever number of US visitors at 20 million users for the month
• 2/3 of all global users access the site via a mobile device, generating 131 million page views
• Social media network referral traffic has increased 23%, month-over-month

Zach Leonard, MD, Digital, ESI Media, said: “These record digital figures for The Independent demonstrate why we are making the move to being a truly global, digital-only newsbrand. We have committed to increased investment in our editorial team, with new roles created and talent such as Robert Fisk, Grace Dent, Simon Calder and Patrick Cockburn already confirmed for Independent.co.uk. This, combined with our digital audiences up 33.3% year-over-year and digital revenues up 50%, ensures we will continue The Independent’s tradition of innovation as we expand further with global bureaus and a brand new App.”

The last paper edition of The Independent will be printed on Saturday, March 26. The last Sunday edition of Independent on Sunday will be printed on Sunday, March 20. The change will not affect the Evening Standard, also owned by ESI Media.

What’s next? In addition to going digital-only in March, ESI Media will create 25 new digital content positions, launch a subscription-based mobile app, open new editorial bureaus in Europe, the Middle East and Asian, and expand its US operations. In addition, ESI Media will sell the Independent on Sunday newspaper to Johnston Press, pending approval from Johnston Press’s shareholders. There may be additional changes, or job losses, as the company identifies redundancies among editorial staff.

Insider Take:

The Independent said it is the UK’s “fastest-growing quality newspaper site,” and in the last 12 months, its monthly digital audience has grown 33.3%. ESI Media also said the site is profitable and expects revenue growth of 50% in 2016. On the other hand, USA Today reports that retail sales of the paper are now 40,457, a 7% decrease over the previous year. If that’s the case, it makes sense for The Independent to go digital-only and to invest resources in that direction.

By focusing on the digital side of its business, The Independent is going to where its readers are – online – and investing in resources to improve its mobile offerings with the creation of a subscription-based app. So far, no mention has been made of how much the subscription-based app might cost or how it might differ from the newspaper’s current digital content, but it sounds like it will have a good, strong editorial team to serve up the kind of content The Independent is known for.