One-fifth of Web users prefer online news

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
2
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By Lisa Baertlein

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nearly one-fifth of Web users who read newspapers now prefer online to offline editions, according to a new study from Internet audience measurement company Nielsen//NetRatings.

The first-time study from Nielsen//NetRatings found that 21 percent of those Web users now primarily use online versions of newspapers, while 72 percent still read print editions.

The remaining 7 percent split their time between online and offline editions. Comparable historic statistics were not available.

"A significant percentage of newspaper readers have transferred their preference from print to online editions," said Nielsen//NetRatings senior media analyst Gerry Davidson.

The statistics reflect a broad trend in the newspaper publishing industry.

U.S. newspaper circulation has been falling as audiences increasingly turn to the Internet for news -- both on newspaper-run sites and through companies such as Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc., which display news gathered from various sources.

Newspaper publishing revenue is growing slowly, but remains in a prolonged slump. Internet companies such as Google and Yahoo have been posting booming revenue gains on a revival in more traditional online advertising, as well as fast-growing Web search ads.

In response to the increased traffic to news sites, online editions of newspapers often now include frequent news updates, original content, message boards and editorial blogs.

The online edition of the New York Times Co.'s flagship paper, www.NYTimes.com, is the most visited U.S. newspaper site. It had an audience of 11.3 million in May, up 25 percent from a year earlier, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

USATODAY.com had the second-biggest online reach, with an audience of 9.2 million in May, up 15 percent. Rounding out the top three was washingtonpost.com whose audience in May grew 10 percent year on year to 7.4 million.

Visits to Yahoo News and Google News, which were not counted in the study, also have been on the rise.

In May, Yahoo News had an online audience of 23.8 million and the audience for Google News was 7.1 million, respectively up 3 percent and 4 percent from a year ago, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. (Additional reporting by Paul Thomasch in New York)


This article made me think of how i have progresed from my daily newspaper to my daily google news in the mornings now
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
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- local news on AM radio on the way to work
- more news in the paper when i get to work
- 6:00 news on TV every night @ dinner
- check news on the net at night (CNN, Drudge Report, Canoe.ca)

i'm sort of a news freak.
 

Icepick

Diamond Member
Nov 1, 2004
3,663
4
81
Internet - I can't stand to listen to commercials on TV or radio any more. At least on the Internet I can just choose not to look at them. On the radio I change the channel any time an ad comes on that I find annoying (and most are annoying to me) or else just listen to NPR. I prefer to get news from the Internet because then I only read the stories that interest me. It's a lot quicker that way.
 

HaxorNubcake

Golden Member
Jun 23, 2004
1,983
0
0
your poll is skewed and biased in the wording. atoters will want to belong to that one fifth. (finally applying something from my year of statistics) :D
 

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
2
0
Originally posted by: HaxorNubcake
your poll is skewed and biased in the wording. atoters will want to belong to that one fifth. (finally applying something from my year of statistics) :D


umm ty?
 

Kev

Lifer
Dec 17, 2001
16,367
4
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I get all my news from here. I just can't bring myself to watch news anymore, especially with all the horsesht they talk about like tom cruise and stupid aruba girl.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
60,114
14,975
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Internet
Then I don't have to deal with inane chatter from anchors, recaps of stories, and don't hear about stupid crap that I don't care about at all.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,997
126
And 99/100's of web users prefer online porn to buying Playboy and Penthouse at the newsstand.

Of course online news is better. It's updated constantly and stories an hour old are well covered. Newspapers are 24 hours out of date by the time you get them.