Rothermere's takeover of the Telegraph is all about digital

So, Lord Rothermere has achieved a long-held personal ambition in agreeing a deal to buy the Telegraph newspaper titles.

- CHRIS BLACKHURST

On the face of it, the £500m takeover makes perfect sense. The Telegraph, which has been up for sale for two years, will finally find a home that should cherish it and maintain its editorial independence. For Rothermere and his Daily Mail group, there will be economies of scale in owning two large publishing operations. They can take costs out of the back offices and the printing and distribution functions. Whether there are further savings to be had from what are already pared-back editorial departments at both main titles is a different matter.

Rothermere will stand alone, unchallenged, as the owner of a right-wing media powerhouse, holding enormous sway over middle England, something that has long appealed to him and to his most senior journalist, Paul Dacre.

Issues about the Telegraph falling into foreign hands and becoming influenced by a Middle Eastern state backer/supporter have fallen away. So too have fears about the Telegraph's continued survival: when it was first put on the market, there was an absence of interested bidders - not at the asking price.