Communication and Media Studies Rankings 2026

The Mirror saw the strongest growth among the top ten both month-on-month (up 6.3%) and year-on-year (up 20%), reaching 22.3 million. The majority of the top ten newsbrands saw month-on-month growth in visitors, with Sky News the only exception (down 2.3% to 17.7 million). Herald Scotland’s audience fell by 6% to 2.4 million (from 2.6 million), while Lancashire Live dropped by 12% to 2.1 million (previously 2.4 million).

Notable Figures Overview

Why not take a walking tour via South bank to Westminster Abbey, to explore London’s iconic views of the river Thames? We have no doubt at all that after reading our top 30 spots on the UK Bucket List, you’ll want to visit! Sign up to our newsletter so you get travel news articles straight to your inbox every day! Explore unique places full history, intrigure and secrecy – dive in and explore some great hidden gems. Unique experiences to share with your partner, friends, family or colleagues.

The Sun saw marginal month-on-month growth of 0.8% in February to reach 20.1 million people – the only monthly growth among any of the top ten newsbrands. The Sun had dropped to sixth place in October but has worked its way back up the ranking. Among the wider top 50 for audience reach, most (36) saw month-on-month growth led by GB News (up 10%) to 9.1 million).

A protected range of grassy mountains and heather-clad hills, the National Park is a gem, boasting walking trails, stunning waterfalls, pretty towns, prehistoric monuments and all the fresh air and wide, open space you could ever wish for. Invented by the city’s Pakistani community in the 1970s, this take on curry is up there with Peaky Blinders, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and the Industrial Revolution as one of Brum’s most iconic exports. When it comes to literary tourism, Hay-on-Wye is a real bucket-list spot. There are two main routes up – the Mountain Track, which is used by most walkers or Carn Mor Dearg Arête, a more challenging ascent for experienced scramblers and hill walkers which can take more than ten hours to complete. Over the years, the bedazzled stage has played host to everyone from James Blake to The Dare, and on any given night you’ll find edgy art students rubbing shoulders with old indie heads as they dance to the best up-and-coming acts.

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that the team has been expelled from the play-offs. Home to beautiful countryside and some stunning sandy beaches, the coastline here tends to be much quieter than the south coast and its villages all the more charming for it. If you’re a food-lover, you’ll understandably be drawn to cities – but don’t rule out the scenic Scottish countryside for your restaurant fix just yet. No point heading out to explore the UK and not being able to enjoy a walk in the wonderful countryside. And just up the road in the country of Somerset, it’s time to eat all the cheese and then hike it off care of Cheddar Gorge – England’s longest gorge and quite the natural spectacle! A beautiful woodland area near the Welsh border, the Forst of Dean is a stunning spot to get away from it all, and the Abbey ruins here are the perfect excuse to visit.

Fourteen newsbrands saw month-on-month growth in August, with Oxford Mail (up 52.3%), The Scotsman (37.6%) and Time Out (13.2%) leading the way, while 30 out of 50 saw year on year growth. It was steady month on month with an audience of 3.1 million, but was up 52.8% compared to August 2024. Meanwhile Kent Online, a new entrant in July, saw an audience of 3.1 million and no change month on month, but a 28.1% increase year on year.

Edinburgh

Three in five of the UK’s largest media companies reported growing news and information revenue in their most recent full-year accounts, Press Gazette’s latest top 50 ranking shows. The total score calculated by our independent and trusted methodology.

August 2025

J.K. Rowling is the author of the “Harry Potter” series, which tells the story of a young wizard. Rowan Atkinson is a funny actor, best known for his silent character Mr. Bean, who often gets into silly situations. He interviews famous people and says things to make people angry on purpose so that people talk about him.

Explore the largest indoor rainforest in the world

If you’re looking to hire a car in the UK, Discovery Cars offers some very competitive rates. Head here for a few days to learn more about how this part of England changed the course of the country’s story forever. And just up the road from Cheddar Gorge is the https://tallahasseearts.org/event/roadhouse-2/ amazing cathedral city of Wells, which I highly recommend you visit. I’m a massive fan of an old Abbey ruin – probably why I like Yorkshire so much… Bolton Abbey and Fountains Abbey there are amazing!

• You could easily spend a week or more exploring just the capital, but if you want to get around to some of the UK’s other towns, beaches or countryside areas, there’s plenty of easy day trips you can enjoy from the capital too.
• You can also visit some shops selling unique Potter-related items and souvenirs.
• The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world, British music acts consistently top global charts, and British actors have defined some of cinema's most iconic roles.
• At just 874 miles from top to bottom, Britain might be small but it’s full of big flavours.
• Looking at total audience, 29 saw month-on-month growth and 29 (but not all the same sites) grew year on year.
• The group’s chief executive highlighted “strong growth” in India, the Middle East and Asia in its annual report, saying the regions were “emerging as a material geographic growth engine”.

The biggest boosts were at news aggregator Yahoo! (up 12% month on month to 18.9 million) and the Daily Express (up 25% year on year to 16.6 million). All of the top-ten biggest brands by audience size saw month-on-month growth in March, an improvement from February when the only increase was of 0.8% at The Sun. Looking at reach, several major brands switched places in March with The Guardian (reach of 21.1 million, up 6% month on month) back in front of The Sun (20.6 million, up 3%). Despite being 49th in the table for audience reach, Substack was 23rd when ranked by total minutes spent with its content, just above Hello!

You could easily spend a week or more exploring just the capital, but if you want to get around to some of the UK’s other towns, beaches or countryside areas, there’s plenty of easy day trips you can enjoy from the capital too. London is an obvious place to base yourself if you’re travelling from abroad to the UK. There’s a lot of islands to choose from up here, with some more remote than others, but all offer amazing experiences with their unique landscape, culture and wildlife.

Swansea University is the best university for media and communication according to the 2027 Unifresher Rankings. For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. Its course delivery scores are the strongest double in the entire 79-university field. Bristol is home to BBC Natural History Unit, Aardman Animations, ITV West and a significant independent production cluster — UWE's proximity to these employers directly benefits its graduates' career outcomes. UWE's media programmes combine strong practical production training with well-established industry placement networks in Bristol's active screen and media sector. University of Manchester ranks 32nd with 140 points and produces media and communication graduates earning £40,000 — the highest standard graduate earnings in this ranking, £10,000 above UWE Bristol (2nd).

• Time Out the biggest month-on-month increase in time spent, up 64.2% to 7.7 million minutes.
• Covers global news, politics, culture, and the environment, with a strong focus on investigative reporting and human rights.
• The nation that gave the world Shakespeare, Newton, and the Industrial Revolution continues to produce cultural icons, scientific innovators, and sporting legends who shape global popular culture.
• Significant contributors include novelist George Orwell, known for his dystopian works that influenced 20th-century political thought, and Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White.
• One of the more controversial figures to be included on the list was the occultist Aleister Crowley.