Is Rothermere set to become the UK's most powerful media mogul?

Waiting two decades for another chance to snaffle a prized business acquisition is a luxury not afforded to many executives.

- Michael Savage and Mark Sweney

The Rothermere family, however, takes a more relaxed approach to time. While most business boards draw up five-year plans, the Rothermeres, having compiled a feared media empire over more than a century, are used to thinking in terms of generations.

It was in the summer of 2004 that Jonathan Harold Esmond Vere Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, the tall, curly haired and immaculately turned out proprietor of the Daily Mail, failed in his bid to seize the Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.

By Rothermere’s assessment, the failure delighted Rupert Murdoch because it would have created a stable of rightwing newspapers powerful enough to rival the “unique political leverage” of Murdoch’s own titles, then comprising the Times, Sunday Times, The Sun and the News of the World.

The softly spoken Rothermere, however, was able to play a longer game. The Telegraph titles were again for sale in 2023. Since then, two prospective owners have come and gone, both after internal Telegraph revolts over their suitability. Rothermere has now swooped.

In the process, the 57-year-old has reaffirmed his family's obsession with British newspapers, which saw his forebears buy, sell and smash together some of the biggest titles of their day.

"Lord Rothermere has got a business head, but he’s not sharply business minded,” said Alex DeGroote, a media analyst who has previously worked closely with Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). “This sounds a bit cheesy, but he’s genuinely passionate about journalism. I suspect internally, they’ve wanted to unite media businesses that serve centre-right audiences for decades.”

Huge issues remain before the hereditary peer’s DMGT group can clinch the titles. Alongside the competition and media plurality concerns, Telegraph insiders are asking how he will stump up the £500m valuation. However, Rothermere’s hopes of creating a conservative media powerhouse have been rekindled.