They only have themselves to blame, of course - in many markets during the good days, rival publishers launched freebies simply to corner the once-attractive advertising market and kill each other off.

But scratch London Lite, Thelondonpaper and Manchester Evening News’ short-lived freebie off that list in the UK; and plenty more elsewhere - though no freesheets closed between 1995 and 1999, 154 around the world have shut since then, Bakker says; that’s nearly half all those launched.

There are now 210, the London Evening Standard going free last year in what was now a rare addition to the free fold as publishers look for more bankable income than advertising…

Read the full report at Newspaper Innovation.