The New York Times will invest more than $50 million over the next three years to expand its international digital audience and increase revenue outside of the United States. The Times NYT Global team will manage and promote the expansion. “Because our digital report is still designed and produced mainly for a U.S. audience, we haven’t come close to realizing our potential to attract readers outside our home market,” said publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Chief Executive Mark Thompson and Executive Editor Dean Baquet in a recent memo to the newspaper’s employees. “We’re confident this will be a down payment on a new era of international growth for our company,” they added.
Assistant Masthead Editor (International) Joe Kahn will lead NYT Global’s editorial strategy, teaming up with Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, the Times’ International President who will oversee its business operations. Lydia Polgreen, Deputy International Editor, will be the Associate Masthead Editor and Editorial Director for NYT Global. The Times’ executives also said in the memo that they see “the opportunity to become an indispensable leader in global news and opinion” by expanding its presence to other countries. Last year the newspaper said its goal was to double digital revenue from $400 million in 2014 to $800 million by 2020 “setting even more ambitious targets for our international growth.”