Informa’s Academic Publishing Arm Shows Resilience Amid Shifting Market Dynamics

Informa PLC, the London-listed international information services group, has reported sustained underlying growth in its academic publishing division, Taylor & Francis, for the 2025 financial year. The division recorded 3.6% underlying revenue growth, excluding non-recurring data access contracts, demonstrating the resilience of its core subscription and open research models despite broader economic pressures on the higher education sector.

Taylor & Francis, one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly journals and books, forms a key part of Informa’s Academic Markets portfolio. The results highlight continued demand for peer-reviewed content, archives and specialist data services from universities and research institutions across the United Kingdom and internationally.

Key Financial Highlights from the 2025 Full-Year Results

According to Informa’s official 2025 full-year results statement, Taylor & Francis achieved reported revenue of £670.8 million. While this represented a reported decline of 3.9% compared with 2024, the underlying performance excluding one-off data licensing deals remained positive. Adjusted operating profit stood at £245.7 million, maintaining an adjusted operating margin of 36.6%.

The company noted strong performance in subscription renewals, expansion in open research outputs and ongoing demand for specialist content archives. Non-recurring data access contracts, which had contributed significantly in the prior year, were lower in 2025, affecting the reported headline figures but not the underlying trajectory.

Informa’s leadership emphasised that the division is targeting further momentum in 2026 through portfolio expansion, international sales growth and increased focus on corporate and under-served customer segments.

Context Within UK Higher Education and Research Landscape

Academic publishing remains central to the UK’s research ecosystem. Universities rely on platforms such as those operated by Taylor & Francis to disseminate findings from projects funded by bodies including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and to meet the requirements of the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

The continued underlying growth at Taylor & Francis reflects broader trends in scholarly communication, including the shift towards open access publishing and the increasing importance of data and archive services for researchers and institutional libraries. UK universities, from the Russell Group institutions to newer universities, form a significant customer base for these services.

Open Access and Article Processing Charges Drive Revenue Streams

A notable development highlighted in earnings discussions is the growing contribution of open access and hybrid journal article processing charges (APCs). Taylor & Francis has reported that revenue from APCs now exceeds £100 million annually, representing approximately 14% of the division’s total revenue.

Aggregate APC prices have risen between 15% and 20% in recent periods, aligning with the sector-wide transition to open research models encouraged by UK funders and institutions. This shift supports wider access to research outputs while providing publishers with sustainable revenue streams beyond traditional subscriptions.

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Implications for University Libraries and Research Administrators

For UK university librarians and research administrators, the results underscore the importance of strategic licensing agreements and archive investments. Many institutions are balancing rising APC costs with subscription budgets under the “read and publish” deals that have become common in the sector.

The stability of Taylor & Francis’s adjusted operating margin at 36.6% suggests that the publisher is managing cost structures effectively even as it invests in digital platforms and open research infrastructure. This could translate into more predictable pricing and service levels for subscribing universities in the coming year.

Broader Market Trends Affecting Academic Publishing

The academic publishing sector continues to navigate several intersecting trends: the acceleration of open access mandates, the integration of artificial intelligence tools for content discovery and analysis, and ongoing pressures on university budgets following post-pandemic adjustments and inflation.

Informa’s focus on recurring revenue through subscriptions and the expansion of data licensing opportunities positions Taylor & Francis to benefit from these developments. The company’s forward visibility remains strong, with significant portions of revenue already committed through multi-year agreements.

Future Outlook for 2026 and Beyond

Informa has signalled expectations of further underlying growth in the academic division for 2026. Priorities include expanding the journal portfolio, strengthening international sales operations and targeting new customer segments such as corporate research teams.

UK higher education institutions are likely to see continued emphasis on open research compliance, enhanced analytics tools and improved author services as publishers respond to evolving funder requirements and researcher needs.

Stakeholder Perspectives from the Academic Community

Researchers and administrators in the United Kingdom have long valued the breadth of Taylor & Francis imprints, which include Routledge for humanities and social sciences and the core Taylor & Francis list for science, technology and medicine. The reported growth provides reassurance that established publishers are adapting successfully to the open access era.

University leaders note that reliable publishing partners remain essential for maintaining the UK’s position as a global research leader, particularly as international competition in scholarly output intensifies.

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Strategic Positioning Within Informa Group

Taylor & Francis operates alongside Informa’s B2B events and digital services divisions. The group’s overall performance benefits from diversification, yet the academic arm continues to deliver high margins and recurring revenue characteristics that are attractive to investors and institutional customers alike.

The 2025 results demonstrate that the academic publishing division has maintained operational discipline while investing in the infrastructure required for the next phase of open research and data-driven services.

Conclusion: Sustained Momentum in a Transforming Sector

Informa’s report of 3.6% underlying growth in Taylor & Francis underlines the enduring value of high-quality academic content and services to the UK and global higher education community. As universities continue to adapt to open access policies, AI-enabled discovery tools and evolving research assessment frameworks, publishers that combine scale with specialist expertise are well placed to support the sector’s needs.

With clear targets for further momentum in 2026, the division’s performance offers a constructive signal for researchers, librarians and administrators planning their publishing and access strategies in the year ahead.