Traffic To US Newspaper Sites Soaring, Says comScore
The number of visitors to local newspaper sites in the United States is rising faster than the total internet audience, according to a report by comScore Media Metrix.
“The unique thing about the Internet is the ability to be at work and taking a quick look to see what’s going on in the outside world when you don’t have access to even a radio,” said Janet McCabe, marketing manager of ComScore Networks Inc.
In New York, the largest DMA market, unique users of the New York Daily News website rose by 23% while total internet users increased by just 3%. Visitors to Chicago’s Suntimes.com shot up by 38% and newspaper sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit and Washington, D.C. all saw significant traffic hikes.
ComScore also discovered that visitors to the majority of major newspaper sites spend more money online than the average internet user. McCabe claims that this is because they attract an “upscale, more educated audience,” echoing the findings of an NAA report back in May (see Online Newspapers Provide “Quality Audience” For Advertisers, Says NAA).
The survey, carried out by MORI, found that 62% of US internet users visit regional newspaper sites to read local news content. This compares with the 55% of respondents who said they accessed Yahoo! for this activity and the 37% who used AOL.
