The Independent announces partnership to create foreign language websites

Stories to run in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and Persian

The Independent and the Middle East’s biggest publisher, SRMG, the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, have today announced an exclusive licensing deal that will lead to the creation of four new online news services.

Four new websites will offer the highest-quality, free-thinking, independent news, insight and analysis on global affairs and local events. These will be published in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and Persian. Each site will feature direct translations of articles from independent.co.uk alongside content from teams of SRMG journalists based in London, Islamabad, Istanbul, and New York.

The new sites – Independent Arabia, Independent Urdu, Independent Turkish, and Independent Persian – will be owned and operated by SRMG.

All editorial practices and output will conform to the world-renowned standards, code of conduct and established ethos of The Independent.

Zach Leonard, managing director, Independent Digital News and Media, said: “The Independent is known and respected around the world for the quality of its journalism and the trust and authority it has earned through 31 years.

“As a fully digital publisher, our influence and reach have never been greater, with a loyal user and subscriber base and a total readership in excess of 100 million each month.

“This new chapter brings an opportunity to build on that heritage and increase our reach at a fascinating time of rapid change in the Middle East. We look forward to showcasing new ideas and provoking debate with new audiences across the region and beyond.”

The new websites will launch later this year. The Independent will continue to publish its own content, as it does today, exclusively in the English language.

The full press release can be read here.