Created by The Independent, i is designed for readers who want a concise, quality daily paper for just 20p.
Available on Mondays to Fridays, i will complement an improved Independent, which will have a distinctive new look and feel, and remain priced at £1.
According to the publishers, i is specifically targeted at readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers, and those of all ages who want a comprehensive digest of the news in printed form. i will combine intelligence with brevity, and depth with speed of reading, providing an essential daily briefing. The launch will be backed by a significant outdoor advertising campaign, created by Trevor Beattie of the BMB agency.
Alexander Lebedev, Director of Independent Print Ltd, owners of The Independent, said yesterday: "My commitment is to a strong, vibrant free press as well as creating innovative media ventures with first-class journalism."
He is also the co-owner of Novaya Gazeta, the pro-democracy newspaper in Moscow, together with former president Mikhail Gorbachev.
Evgeny Lebedev, Chairman of Independent Print Ltd, said: "I am very proud to launch i, which will be the first quality daily paper to have launched in Britain since The Independent itself in 1986. My father and I believe that a free press is a fundamental tool of a democracy, and we believe that newspapers still have a future, and a very important one.
"We have shown by our investment in the London Evening Standard that, even in these highly competitive times, it is possible to revive a brand, and we aim to do the same with The Independent by the launch of i and the improvements to the parent paper."
i will be edited by The Independent's Editor-in-Chief Simon Kelner, who said: "With the launch of i, we are again doing something radical and new, creating a paper for today that retains the essential qualities of The Independent. Ever since The Independent launched, the paper has had a reputation for innovation and boldness and now we are creating the first post-modern newspaper, attractive to those who prize intelligence, convenience and desirability."
Andrew Mullins, Managing Director of The Independent, said: "Quality newspapers provide a highly valuable audience for advertisers, but recently print circulations have been in decline and the average age of the audience has been increasing.
"Time-poor newspaper readers, and especially commuters, have been telling us for years that they are inundated with information and just don't have the time to read a quality newspaper on a regular basis. We are creating a newspaper for the 21st century that is designed for people who have a thirst for information and entertainment in the limited time that they have available. i is a reader-led newspaper with broad reach and intelligence."
