The New York Times ranks as top online newspaper

17 Jun 2010

RESTON, USA: According to the May 2010 US comScore Media Metrix Data, the US online newspaper CPMs nearly three times higher than average.

comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, today, 17 June 2010, released a report of the top US online newspaper groups based on the comScore Media Metrix service. The newspaper category represents the first site category for which each of the top ten ranked entities has transitioned to the comScore Media Metrix 360 (Unified Digital Measurement) methodology.

The report showed that more than 123 million Americans visited newspaper sites in May, representing 57% of the total US Internet audience, as the New York Times brand led the category with more than 32 million visitors and 719 million pages viewed during the month. The average visitor viewed 22 pages of content on the New York Times, also leading the top ten.

Tribune Newspapers ranked second in terms of audience with 24.8 million visitors, followed by Advance Internet (18.1 million visitors) and USA Today Sites (16.8 million visitors).

Top Newspaper Groups
May 2010 Total US - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix
	Total Unique Visitors (000)	Total Pages Viewed (MM)	Average Pages per Visitor
Total Internet : Total Audience	215,691	592,519	2,747
Newspapers	123,897	5,339	43
The New York Times Brand	32,530	719	22
Tribune Newspapers	24,753	359	14
Advance Internet	18,053	326	18
USA Today Sites	16,771	154	9
WashingtonPost.com	16,677	178	11
McClatchy Corporation	13,987	216	15
MediaNews Group	13,362	141	11
NYDailyNews.com	12,502	122	10
Hearst Newspapers	12,017	195	16
Wall Street Journal Online	11,325	115	10

"The good news for publishers is that even as print circulation declines, Americans are actually consuming as much news as ever - it's just being consumed across more media," said Jeff Hackett, comScore senior vice president.

"The Internet has become an essential channel in the way the majority of Americans consume news content today with nearly 3 out of 5 Internet users reading newspapers online each month. As news evolves towards a more digital model, the issue is not attracting the eyeballs, but rather demonstrating the true value of those eyeballs to advertisers. As advertising rates for digital move closer into line with those of traditional media, the economics of the news business should begin to look a lot more promising."

Online newspapers attract high CPM rates from advertisers

comScore's Ad Metrix service shows that among the top site categories where display ads appeared in April 2010, online newspapers accounted for 2.4% of impressions but a higher 6.7% of display advertising dollars. The average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) on online newspaper sites was $7, higher than each of the other top site categories and nearly three times the average CPM for the total US Internet at $2.52.

Top Display Advertising Site Categories
April 2010 Total US - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Ad Metrix
Publisher	Total Display Ad Impressions (MM)	Share of Impressions	Estimated Spending ($ 000)	Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM)
Total Internet : Total Audience	354,636	100.0%	893,681	$2.52
Social Networking	98,176	27.7%	54,684	$0.56
Portals	69,664	19.6%	181,266	$2.60
Entertainment	38,104	10.7%	181,147	$4.75
e-mail	34,327	9.7%	32,370	$0.94
Community	15,884	4.5%	33,435	$2.10
General News	12,542	3.5%	77,055	$6.14
Sports	10,850	3.1%	68,214	$6.29
Newspapers	8,506	2.4%	59,441	$6.99
Online Gaming	7,929	2.2%	21,234	$2.68
Photos	7,391	2.1%	7,953	$1.08

"Online newspapers represent premium inventory for advertisers," added Hackett.

"comScore research conducted last year for the Online Publishers Association showed that visitors who are exposed to display ads on news sites are more likely than average to visit the advertiser website, are heavier online buyers and tend to have higher household income. Online news publishers are also leading the way in the use of newer display ad formats, which are aiming to create a richer, more engaging experience for consumers."

In particular, online newspapers have demonstrated significantly faster adoption of the new OPA ad units. While these units currently account for just 0.06% of all display ads delivered online in the US, they account for 0.43% of ads on newspaper sites, or seven times higher than average. Notably, the Fixed Panel 336 x 860 unit is the most popular unit being used on newspaper sites among the new OPA units at a rate 35 times higher than average.