‘No one’s even heard of the Telegraph’: can the UK’s most conservative paper take on Murdoch in the US?

Axel Springer acquired Telegraph Media Group for £575m in June, ending three years of uncertainty about its future. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA View image in fullscreen Axel Springer acquired Telegraph Media Group for £575m in June, ending three years of uncertainty about its future. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA Analysis ‘No one’s even heard of the Telegraph’: can the UK’s most conservative paper take on Murdoch in the US? Michael Savage Media editor Axel Springer boss has ‘bold vision’ for the media group, but identifying a gap is no guarantee of stateside success As he addressed staff at the London headquarters of the Telegraph Media Group last week, Mathias Döpfner , the German chief executive of Axel Springer and latest proprietor of the most traditional of conservative British newspapers, referred to his company’s decades-long pursuit of the venerable titles. As staff nibbled Axel Springer-embossed biscuits, Döpfner also exchanged some distinctly European ribbing with the Daily Telegraph’s editor, Chris Evans, about Germany’s World Cup exit. However, it was clear to all that Döpfner’s ambitions for the titles were focused on another country and another continent. “The Daily Telegraph can be a global Telegraph,” he said. “It’s a bold vision, but why not? The centre-right audience is vastly underserved in democracies around the world. So, the biggest opportunity is, of course, the US, the biggest media landscape in the world. What a big white spot the Telegraph can take advantage of.” View image in fullscreen Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer’s chief executive, told Telegraph staff in London that the US was ‘the biggest opportunity’. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters He also cited opportunities in Asia and Latin America, but breaking into the US is his dream for the Telegraph. According to insiders, Döpfner is a man in a hurry. US expansion is “a top priority since we see a lot of potential” said a spokesperson. Telegraph’s £575m takeover by German group completed Read more “Mathias’s ambition is to be a global media baron,” said Lionel Barber, the former Financial Times editor previously involved in the publication’s US expansion. “That means you have to be a player in America. “He previously wanted to buy the FT. He’s looked at the [Wall Street] Journal. He’s been assembling assets like Politico, but it doesn’t have the scale of the Journal. He needed something else.” Döpfner is not alone in spying an opportunity for a new US media outlet on the right. Senior media figures often observe that Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal has too much territory to itself, with its focus on financial news presenting a market opportunity for others to exploit. View image in fullscreen Senior media figures often observe that Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal has too much territory to itself. Photograph: Bing Guan/Reuters The question being widely posed across the media world, however, is whether Döpfner and his team are ready for the enormous challenge – and expe