Northern & Shell was founded in 1974 as the publisher of the music magazine International Musician and Recording World. The Northern & Shell group experienced four decades of expansion from the mid 1970s, during which time it became a significant force in British and worldwide media, with a major UK television broadcaster and a portfolio of newspapers and magazines.
Northern & Shell launched OK! magazine in 1993 and acquired Express Newspapers in November 2000, Channel 5 in July 2010 and The Health Lottery in February 2011.
Following the sale of Channel 5 in September 2014 to global broadcaster Viacom, and the sale of its print & publishing businesses, including its national newspapers titles - Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, Daily Star Sunday, celebrity magazines - OK!, new! and Star, and its 50% interest in the Irish Daily Star to Trinity Mirror plc (since renamed Reach plc) in February 2018, the Group’s principal interests are now property development, The Health Lottery and start-up ventures.
