Reach plc is launching a new events division to turn editorial brands into live experiences for advertisers. The company aims to prove these connections can become repeatable products.
Reach plc is moving to turn its editorial brands into live, in-person experiences, aiming to offer advertisers new ways to engage audiences beyond digital channels. The company has launched Reach Live Experiences, a division designed to build on its history with events like Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland, and to help advertisers activate campaigns rooted in audience interests.
Alongside the new division, Reach has introduced LIVE, a proprietary audience planning framework that organizes data around Location, Interests, Values, and Engagement. This system draws on billions of data points to give advertisers a more detailed view of Reach’s audience segments, making it easier to plan and justify experiential investments within broader media strategies.
Sophie Robinson, Director of Events and Live Experiences at Reach, said the real opportunity lies in participation rather than just audience scale. She argued that while digital media can reach large numbers, live events create shared emotion and memory that standard campaigns often cannot replicate. According to Robinson, experiential formats transform audiences from passive consumers into active participants, deepening the connection between brand and audience.
Pride of Britain, which has run since 2001, stands as Reach’s most established example of a live format built on recognition, emotion, and shared celebration. The company is now expanding this model into year-round experiences and new franchises, aiming to maintain the original purpose while growing commercial opportunities.
Maria Purcell, Interim Chief Revenue Officer at Reach, described the strategy as an evolution rather than a reinvention. She said the goal is to take the trust and audience connection built over generations and adapt it for a more visual, fast-paced future.
Robinson emphasized that editorial understanding must shape events from the outset, rather than being added as a sponsorship afterthought. She said authenticity depends on whether audiences see the experience as a natural extension of the brand, not just a branded sponsorship. Commercial partnerships, she noted, work best when they enhance the audience experience and align with the brand’s values, rather than simply seeking visibility.
For Reach, the sponsor proposition comes after the audience proposition. Editorial, audience, events, and commercial teams must first agree on why people would attend, what they will gain, and what role a partner can credibly play. Robinson argued that sponsors who add access, expertise, or utility can strengthen the experience, while those focused mainly on visibility risk missing the opportunity.
She also stressed that the event itself should not be the end product. Instead, live moments should generate editorial coverage, video, social storytelling, and follow-up audience activity, extending value before and after the event. This approach allows publishers to turn a single live experience into multiple assets, including editorial features, video clips, social distribution, audience insights, and advertiser case studies.
Robinson said the key is to define what the event is meant to produce before selling it. If treated as a one-off activation, experiential work becomes expensive and custom. But if built as part of a broader content and audience cycle, it offers a clearer path to repeatability, margin, and advertiser value.
Recent data from the IPA’s Autumn 2025 Digital Media Owners Survey showed Reach scored 73% for understanding how to exploit opportunities across media, up 18 percentage points from Spring 2025. This suggests agencies are recognizing improvements in Reach’s ability to deliver integrated campaigns, a capability that will be critical for experiential offerings.
Reach’s established brands, audience recognition, and history with live formats give it a credible reason to invest in live experiences. The LIVE framework may help agencies see where these experiences fit within larger campaigns. However, the challenge remains in making these events repeatable and scalable. Success will depend on whether the brand has a genuine reason to bring people together, the partner enhances the audience experience, and the event creates value beyond attendance.
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Reach plc is the UK’s largest commercial news publisher, with a portfolio that includes national and regional titles. The company operates more than 130 print and digital brands and reported a reach of over 40 million unique digital users per month in 2025. Its flagship events, such as Pride of Britain, have become major fixtures in the UK media calendar, supporting both editorial and commercial objectives.
