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Outlet profile

The Times

UK right-center

Owned byTimes Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, which is wholly owned by News Corp — a company controlled by the Murdoch family (Lachlan Murdoch assumed effective control following a family succession agreement in 2025)
FundingPrimarily digital and print subscriptions (hard paywall introduced 2010); supplemented by advertising revenue. Digital subscriptions make up the majority of revenue, with an estimated 500,000 paying digital subscribers as of recent reporting.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Times was founded on January 1, 1785, by John Walter as The Daily Universal Register, becoming The Times on January 1, 1788. Under editor Thomas Barnes in the early 19th century, it gained the nickname 'the Thunderer' for its outspoken influence on British public opinion. Circulation grew from around 5,000 in 1815 to 40,000 by 1850, cementing its status as Britain's paper of record. After more than a century under the Walter family, it passed through several owners before the Thomson Organization took control in 1966. In 1981, Rupert Murdoch's News International — later restructured as News UK — acquired it, a purchase that was controversial and required government approval. Conditions attached to the sale included independent editorial boards meant to shield editors from proprietorial interference, though those protections were effectively removed by government action in 2022. The paper introduced a full digital paywall in 2010, shifting its revenue base heavily toward subscriptions. A Murdoch family succession dispute concluded in 2025 with an agreement giving Lachlan Murdoch controlling authority over News Corp's titles, including The Times, after Rupert Murdoch's death. Media analysts rate it right-center on the UK political spectrum, broadly supportive of Conservative-leaning economic policy, though its news reporting is generally regarded as factually reliable.

Sources

  1. The Times | History & Facts | Britannica
  2. News UK – Wikipedia
  3. Who Owns The Times in the UK? – Factually
  4. The Times UK and The Sunday Times – Media Bias/Fact Check
  5. Succession of Rupert Murdoch – Wikipedia
  6. A History of the Times Newspaper – Historic Newspapers
  7. Peak paywall? What Time's move to free online model means for news industry – Press Gazette

Profile compiled 2026-08-19; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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