NEWSPAPER WEB SITES ATTRACT RECORD AUDIENCES IN FIRST QUARTER

Washington – Newspaper Web sites attracted more than 66.4 million unique visitors on average (40.7 percent of all Internet users) in the first quarter of 2008, a record number that represents a 12.3 percent increase over the same period a year ago, according to a custom analysis provided by Nielsen Online for the Newspaper Association of America.

In addition, newspaper Web site visitors generated an average of 3.1 billion page views per month throughout the quarter, compared with slightly less than three billion during the same period last year.  The first quarter unique visitor and page view figures are the highest for any quarter since NAA began tracking these numbers in 2004 and the largest increase since the third quarter of 2006. 

The first quarter numbers come as new research from Nielsen Online demonstrates that newspaper Web site visitors are more politically engaged than their Internet counterparts.  The data also indicates that people who read newspaper Web sites are more affluent and multi-media savvy than the online audience as whole. 

“This research presents more compelling evidence that the powerful demographics newspaper Web sites deliver is unmatched by any other online category.  Advertisers seeking affluent, sophisticated consumers who shop online and immerse themselves in the latest technology need not look any further,” said John F. Sturm, NAA’s president and chief operating officer.  “The latest figures from Nielsen Online demonstrate that newspaper Web sites are not just attracting the right consumers – they are attracting them in record numbers.”

For further information on the research and the latest online numbers, please listen to NAA's Podcast.

From Nielsen Online:

Source: Nielsen Online Custom Analysis

 Source: Nielsen Online Custom Analysis

According to Nielsen Online @Plan data:

Newspaper Web Site Visitors are Politically Engaged

When compared with the Internet population as a whole:

• Newspaper Web site users are more than twice as likely to provide frequent advice on politics and current events to others
• More than three times as many newspaper readers went online for politics or campaign information yesterday
• Newspaper Web site visitors are more than three times as likely to have watched online video concerning politics or public affairs in the last month

Desirable Demographics

Compared with the overall Internet audience, newspaper Web site visitors:

• Are 31 percent more likely to hold professional or managerial positions
• Are 46 percent more likely to have a post-graduate degree
• Are 27 percent more likely to earn $100,000 or more annually

Multi-Media Oriented

When compared with the Internet population as a whole:

• Newspaper Web site visitors are 76 percent more likely to have downloaded video or audio yesterday
• Newspaper Web site users are twice as likely to have searched the Internet on their cell phones or other wireless device yesterday
• Newspaper Web site visitors are twice as likely to use iTunes in the past month, 71 percent more likely to provide computer advice frequently and nearly twice as likely  to have watched streaming video yesterday

Newspaper Web Sites Attract Big Spenders

Compared to the overall Internet audience:

• Newspaper Web site visitors are 59 percent more likely to have shopped online for a new automobile in the past 6 months
• Those who visit newspaper sites are twice as likely to have taken three- to four round-trip flights in the last month
• Newspaper Web site visitors are twice as  likely to have done investment shopping online in the past 30 days

The Nielsen Online newspaper total represents a de-duplicated visitor total taken from its combined home and work panel of Internet users (i.e. an individual who might read a national newspaper plus their local newspaper online is only counted once). The target sample (2 years or older) has access from a non-shared PC at work and/or access from home. The Nielsen Online monthly newspaper total represents the de-duplicated reach of a custom list of hundreds of sites collectively.

The @Plan consumer database consists of the quarterly survey results of 36,000 active Internet users. Active users of the Internet are defined as those U.S. adults, age 18 and older, which have visited any site on the World Wide Web in the previous 30 days. The study measures all U.S. web usage, whether occurring at work, home, school or elsewhere. The research measures site usage, demographics, lifestyle characteristics and brand and product preferences for selected product categories.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $59 billion newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. NAA members include daily newspapers, as well as non-dailies and other publications published throughout the world. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., the Association focuses on six key strategic priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership. Information about NAA and the industry also may be found at www.naa.org.