Digital dynamics: British tabloids’ adaptation strategies online and in print

Tabloids are still thriving in the United Kingdom, but few studies have specifically explored the issue of how British tabloids have been affected by the digital turn. To the best of authors’ knowledge, no study has addressed what changes have taken place in the characteristics of tabloids in this emergent environment. This research therefore compares the digital manifestation of British tabloid newspapers with their analogue counterparts in order to ascertain whether online tabloids are adapting technology to amplify their print siblings’ traditional character, creating new features or becoming a digital tabloid hybrid. We selected two highly successful and representative online tabloids, Sun online and MailOnline , and their paper counterparts. The sample period for this study spans from 20 December 2021 to 20 February 2022, encompassing two months. The analysis aims to demonstrate how tabloids are adapting to the logic of the internet in order to maintain and even increase their commercial success. Conceptually, therefore, this research applies a discussion of tabloidization and includes more contemporary discussions of the place of tabloid newspapers and websites within the broader tabloid culture. It explores the changes in online tabloids compared with print tabloid newspapers through quantitative content analysis and qualitative interviews.