The Onion’s Print Revival Sparks Revenue Surge – and Raises Questions for Media’s Future

Ten years ago, The Onion quietly binned its printing presses and joined the long list of media outlets that decided paper was yesterday’s news. The satirical news outlet, once famous for its free-distribution newspapers, shut down its print edition in 2013 and leaned heavily into online publishing. But, like so many other digital-only publishers, it struggled to convert loyal readers into a sustainable source of income. Ownership ping-ponged several times – from Univision in 2016 to G/O Media in 2019 – before a group of investors led by Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson and journalist Ben Collins grabbed the baton in April 2024. Few expected what happened next: The Onion went back to print.

The relaunch took place in August 2024, timed to coincide with the Democratic National Convention. With a limited run of 40,000 copies, what began as a toe dip quickly turned into a full plunge. Subscriptions for the print edition rolled in – with readers apparently delighted to pay for the simple joy of unfolding actual paper. In a world of endless scrolling and thumb-strain, The Onion made satire feel like a pause in the day rather than part of the digital blur.

The results have been impressive. In under a year, the company has signed up more than 53,000 subscribers, and according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, that shift has pushed annual revenue from under $2 million in 2024 to around $6million in 2025. The punchlines are finally paying the bills. As for those subscriber figures – well, we’ll be adding them to our vision board.

The Onion isn’t alone in rethinking its strategy. Across the media world, others are also experimenting with new ways to turn readers into reliable income. While many digital outlets continue to chase scale through online advertising, others, like The New York Times, have focused on digital subscriptions that branch into cooking, lifestyle products, and games (anyone else still miffed that they put the daily mini crossword behind a paywall?) The Economist has stuck to it’s tried-and-tested formula – keeping subscription prices high and relying on reputation to keep readers loyal. And at the other end of the spectrum, smaller independent outlets like The Browser and Air Mail have built dedicated audiences willing to pay for niche, curated products.

The parallels extend beyond print. Podcasts are increasingly putting episodes behind paywalls, with creators hoping to escape the unpredictability of ad markets. Substack newsletters are proving that small teams can make a living by building cult followings. Even streaming platforms, once obsessed with growth at all costs, are rediscovering the joy of steady subscription-driven income.

Closer to home, Britain has its own examples of print stubbornly refusing to die. Private Eye still shifts more than 200,000 copies an issue, making it the country’s best-selling political magazine – and it does so while keeping print firmly at the centre, with its digital presence playing second fiddle. The Spectator has kept its print circulation steady while expanding online, showing that old and new can happily coexist. Even The Oldie offers both print and digital, but its loyal subscribers still prefer the ritual of the magazine arriving on the doormat. The common thread is the same lesson as The Onion: when readers feel they’re buying into something distinctive, print becomes less of a relic and more of a badge of loyalty.

The Onion’s twist is that it left print for dead, then brought it back for the encore. Like vinyl records, paper now carries a sort of scarcity value that digital formats struggle to replicate. It’s a novelty, yes – but a novelty that feels tangible, distinctive and oddly luxurious in an age of digital overload. And distinctiveness, it turns out, is what people will pay for.

The Last Word

For media companies the message is clear. Audiences are saturated with free content and tired of intrusive advertising. What they will pay for is quality content, a brand that reflects their identity, and the sense of belonging that comes from being part of a community. The Onion’s return to print underlines a wider trend: the most successful models in today’s fragmented media landscape are those offering something unique enough to convince readers, listeners, or viewers to part with their hard-earned cash.

Ten years after calling time on its presses, The Onion has proved that a return to print is more than a gimmick. In this digital age, defined by fleeting attention spans and unstable business models, they’ve managed to turn back the clock – and in doing so, may have pointed the way forward for others.