2023 is an important year because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up determining what the post-pandemic era would end up looking like. While there were some positive signs, it turns out that news publishers may be in dire straits. Out of the top 50 news publishers on the internet, 35 of them ended up seeing fewer viewers in 2023. Hence, 70% of top news publishers are experiencing a decline in readership.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that sites like the New York Times and CNN have seen 21% and 22% fewer viewers respectively. Things are looking even worse for the TheVerge, which has seen over 31% fewer viewers than might have been the case otherwise. From Buzzfeed to Fox News, pretty much every news publishers that used to get steady viewership has started to experience a decline, and this does not bode well for the future of the industry.
However, 15 of the top 50 news publishers actually saw viewership go up with all things having been considered and taken into account. Forbes received 20% more viewers as compared to last year, and British tabloid the Sun saw readership increase by nearly 60% which is quite impressive.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, one thing that has become clear is that internet users are reading less news in general. This might just be the aftermath of news overload due to an incessant news cycle during the Donald Trump presidency which went to another level once the pandemic was in full swing.
This list looks at monthly traffic compared year over year. February of 2022 was clearly a far better year for news publishers than February for 2023. Only time will tell if the rest of 2023 ends up looking as dire. Publishers may be in for the roughest year yet, and certain smaller players may no longer be able to hold their own against larger companies that can weather such storms far more effectively.
H/T: Pressgazette / Similarweb
Read next: New Report Exposes Alarming Security Risks in Popular Mobile Applications
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that sites like the New York Times and CNN have seen 21% and 22% fewer viewers respectively. Things are looking even worse for the TheVerge, which has seen over 31% fewer viewers than might have been the case otherwise. From Buzzfeed to Fox News, pretty much every news publishers that used to get steady viewership has started to experience a decline, and this does not bode well for the future of the industry.
However, 15 of the top 50 news publishers actually saw viewership go up with all things having been considered and taken into account. Forbes received 20% more viewers as compared to last year, and British tabloid the Sun saw readership increase by nearly 60% which is quite impressive.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, one thing that has become clear is that internet users are reading less news in general. This might just be the aftermath of news overload due to an incessant news cycle during the Donald Trump presidency which went to another level once the pandemic was in full swing.
This list looks at monthly traffic compared year over year. February of 2022 was clearly a far better year for news publishers than February for 2023. Only time will tell if the rest of 2023 ends up looking as dire. Publishers may be in for the roughest year yet, and certain smaller players may no longer be able to hold their own against larger companies that can weather such storms far more effectively.
H/T: Pressgazette / Similarweb
Read next: New Report Exposes Alarming Security Risks in Popular Mobile Applications
