The Times Brand Score: 89/100 - Strong Brand tier

Independent journalism since 1785

The Times (thetimes.co.uk) earns a Brand Analyzer score of 89 out of 100, placing it in the Strong Brand tier among Media & Entertainment brands. Among 6059 Media & Entertainment brands analyzed, The Times ranks in the 90th percentile (category average 77, leader 97). The score combines seven dimensions - name quality, digital presence, visual identity, messaging clarity, trust foundation, AI discoverability, and brand authority - into a single objective benchmark. Dimension scores: Name Quality 98/100, Digital Presence 100/100, Visual Identity 75/100, Messaging Clarity 100/100, Trust Foundation 93/100, AI Discoverability 35/100, Brand Authority 80/100.

AI Snapshot

The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London, founded in 1785 and owned by News UK. It provides trusted, high-quality news and analysis across politics, business, culture, and world affairs. Positioned as a premium, independent journalism source, it targets educated professionals, decision-makers, and news enthusiasts seeking credible, in-depth reporting. The publication emphasizes editorial excellence and authoritative coverage as part of its long-standing legacy in British media.

Key facts about The Times
Brand NameThe Times
Domainthetimes.co.uk
IndustryMedia & Entertainment
Founded1785
HeadquartersLondon
Parent Company / OwnerNews UK
Main CompetitorsThe Guardian (95/100), The Telegraph, Financial Times (94/100), Daily Mail (88/100), The Independent, The Economist (94/100)

Evidence

Moz Domain Authority 93/100 vs category average 53 / leader 100 - a strong backlink profile, so AI systems frequently encounter mentions of the brand.

Ranked #2,905 on the Tranco list of most-visited sites - strong traffic reinforces the brand's prominence to AI models.

The Times has a dedicated Wikipedia entity - a top-weighted signal AI models rely on to identify and describe the brand.

The homepage meta description reads "To deliver trusted, high-quality news and analysis that informs and empowers readers." (No meta description) - this is the summary AI engines are most likely to quote.

Structured data on the homepage: No structured data or Open Graph tags detected. Adding Organization and FAQ schema would further help AI crawlers parse the brand's identity.

AI-crawler access: robots.txt mentions GPTBot, ChatGPT-User - all allowed - robots.txt controls whether engines like GPTBot and ClaudeBot can read the site at all.

Social footprint: verified profiles on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, GitHub; no detected presence on Facebook - consistent profiles reinforce the brand's identity across the web.

0 Reddit mentions - community discussion signals real-world reputation to AI models.

Score breakdown - 7 dimensions

AI visibility

The Times scores 65/100 for AI visibility - how well ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews can discover, identify and cite the brand.

The Times has a moderate AI-visibility profile at 65/100 - a proxy for how readily ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews can recognise and cite it. Its strongest area is visibility (72/100) and its weakest is trust (54/100). It benefits from a recognised Wikipedia company entity, a Wikidata knowledge-graph entry and a global traffic rank of #2,905 (Tranco). The main gaps holding it back: thin schema.org structured data. In a live check, Claude could already identify The Times from memory (August 2026) - a sign these signals are paying off.

Visibility - 72/100

Trust - 54/100

Recommendation likelihood - 67/100

Does AI know The Times?

Live results from asking a general-purpose AI assistant about the brand, checked August 2026.

When asked "What is The Times?", Claude could identify the brand as of August 2026. The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London, founded in 1785, known for its coverage of UK and international news, politics, business, and culture. It's owned by News UK, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, and operates alongside its sister paper The Sunday Ti Best known for Being one of the oldest and most established national newspapers in Britain, historically influential in UK politics and journalism.

When asked "Best brands similar to The Times?", Claude would recommend The Times as of August 2026. It's a major, well-respected UK broadsheet often cited alongside outlets like The Guardian or The Telegraph when discussing quality British journalism.

People Also Ask About The Times

Common questions people ask in Google, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI search engines.

Who are The Times's main competitors?

The Times's main competitors include The Guardian (95/100), The Telegraph, Financial Times (94/100), Daily Mail (88/100), The Independent. These companies compete in the Media & Entertainment space for similar customers, offering comparable products or services.

Sources: Brand Analyzer scan

The Times vs The Guardian: how do they compare?

The Times and The Guardian are competitors in Media & Entertainment. Brand Analyzer scores The Times at 89/100 and The Guardian at 95/100. They target overlapping audiences; the right choice depends on your specific needs and priorities.

Sources: Brand Analyzer scan

What are the best alternatives to The Times?

Popular alternatives to The Times include The Guardian (95/100), The Telegraph, Financial Times (94/100), Daily Mail (88/100), The Independent. Each is an established option in the Media & Entertainment space; the best fit depends on your specific needs, budget, and required features.

Sources: Brand Analyzer scan

What is The Times?

The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London, founded in 1785. It is owned by News UK and is known for delivering trusted, high-quality journalism across politics, business, culture, and world affairs.

Sources: The Times official site

When was The Times founded?

The Times was founded in 1785. The Times operates in the Media & Entertainment category. It is analyzed by Brand Analyzer across seven brand dimensions and AI-search visibility.

Sources: Wikidata

Where is The Times headquartered?

The Times is headquartered in London. The Times operates in the Media & Entertainment category.

Sources: Wikidata

What does The Times do?

The Times produces daily news reporting and analysis, covering politics, business, culture, and world affairs. It delivers trusted, high-quality journalism intended to inform and empower its readers through in-depth reporting and editorial commentary.

Sources: The Times official site

Does ChatGPT recommend The Times?

The Times scores 67/100 on Brand Analyzer's AI recommendation signal, indicating it is reasonably likely to be surfaced when AI assistants like ChatGPT suggest Media & Entertainment options. Recommendation depends on crawlability, structured data, and category authority; a Wikipedia presence helps.

Sources: The Times official site

Is The Times trustworthy?

The Times positions itself as a trusted, independent source of journalism, emphasizing reliability and editorial excellence. Its stated mission is to deliver trusted, high-quality news and analysis, reflecting a long-standing reputation for credible reporting since its founding in 1785.

Sources: The Times official site

How can The Times improve its AI discoverability?

The Times can improve AI discoverability by strengthening structured data (Organization and FAQ schema), maintaining an accurate Wikipedia/Wikidata entity, earning authoritative citations, and keeping content crawlable for AI bots. Brand Analyzer measures these as visibility, trust, and recommendation signals.

Sources: The Times official site

What products or services does The Times offer?

The Times offers daily news reporting and analysis covering politics, business, culture, and world affairs, delivered through its newspaper and associated digital platforms under News UK.

Sources: The Times official site

What is The Times known for?

The Times is known for its long history dating back to 1785, its reputation for authoritative and independent journalism, and its editorial excellence in covering politics, business, and culture for a discerning readership.

Sources: The Times official site

Who owns The Times?

The Times is owned by or part of News UK. The Times operates in the Media & Entertainment category.

Sources: Wikidata

Who uses The Times?

The Times is used by educated professionals, decision-makers, and news enthusiasts who seek credible, in-depth reporting and analysis on politics, business, culture, and world affairs.

Sources: The Times official site

Recommendations

Peer brands

Ranked closest to The Times: TheMarker (89/100), The Local Italy (89/100), This Old House (89/100), Tim Ferriss (89/100).

A step up - brands to learn from: Yr (91/100), Yamaha Corporation (91/100).

Category leader: Complex (97/100).