Mobile engagement with news sites jumps by 41%

Mobile engagement with news sites jumps by 41%

Engagement with Australia’s top 10 news sites shot up in March, according to the latest Nielsen Online Ratings which revealed “notable growth” for The Mail Online.

The top 10 news sites increased their session engagement by an average 28% from February to March with big jumps in mobile device engagement in the latest results, which include the major enhancements Nielsen unveiled yesterday.

Overall, session engagement on mobile was up 41% on average for the top 10 sites with average rises of 31% for tablet sessions and 21% for desktop.

While News Corp’s news.com.au continues to leave and the overall top five remain unchanged, there was a shift in the bottom half of the table courtesy of  The Mail Online, The Guardian and BBC.

The Mail Online jumped from tenth position to sixth.

According to Nielsen the majority of The Mail Online’s growth came from referrals from Ninemsn’s homepage to tabloid stories such as reports on socialite Brynne Edelsten.

The BBC made a return to the top 10 while The Guardian recorded significant growth throughout March. The majority of The Guardian’s growth was as a result of a 38% increase in its female audience, a fact Nielsen said was unique given most news sites’ gains were from male readers.

Based on unique audience data, the Nielsen ratings are in addition to internal figures of 5.1 million unique browsers which also saw Guardian Australia record 13 days across March where traffic was higher than the recorded launch day numbers in May 2013. The same figures also demonstrate a month on month traffic increase of 26%.

The Guardian Australia said that it had 13 days across March hwere traffic was higher than recorded launch day numbers in May last year.

Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief Guardian Australia, said:“Today’s Nielsen ratings go some way to reflecting an incredible March for Guardian Australia. We've combined great coverage of Australian stories, from David Marr on George Pell at the Royal Commission to our innovative Great Barrier Reef interactive, with major global stories which are live and updated on the Guardian globally for 24 hours a day, such as the search for the MH370 plane and the Oscar Pistorius trial.

"I'm delighted that we continue to smash our readership targets as we approach one year since the launch of Guardian Australia."

Monique Perry, head of Nielsen’s Media Industry Group, said: “We always see a kick in unique audience figures when comparing February to March due to the extra days in the month.”

“Looking specifically at the news category, last month we had big international and local stories such as the MH370 story which our research shows drove new, incremental audiences online for latest updates.”




Please login with linkedin to comment

Latest News

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!
  • Media

It’s Friday Quiz Time Again!

Take B&T's trivia quiz for your chance to win a $100 booze voucher and possible cirrhosis of a major internal organ.

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Big data technology and data science illustration. Data flow concept. Querying, analysing, visualizing complex information. Neural network for artificial intelligence. Data mining. Business analytics.
  • Marketing

SenateSHJ Launches New Trans-Tasman Practices

SenateSHJ has launched a new digital, data and insights capability designed to help clients tackle the growing complexity of communication challenges. SenateSHJ Digital, Data and Insights (DDI) will combine the firm’s existing Digital and Insights functions to create a Trans-Tasman capability focused on digital communication, and the generation and use of data to improve communication. […]

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile
  • Media

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile

Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7
  • Advertising

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7

B&T went through the looking glass this morning, with editor-in-chief David Hovenden (above) appearing on Channel 7’s The Morning Show to get the general public involved in our search for Australia’s Greatest Ad. Hovenden chatted with Kylie Gillies and stand-in host Matt Doran about what makes a great ad and showcasing some of our favourites […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma
  • Opinion

Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma

The science is not in question – smarter people than I, with far more data, have codified it. The logic is not up for grabs…it makes sense that creating mental shortcuts to your brand keeps you at the top of your mind. Lead image: Kate Smither – Owner, The Tall Planner I wouldn’t even take […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
African woman using a cellphone in an office alone
  • Marketing

Ortto & Tall Bob Partner To Deliver Better SMS & MMS For Australian & NZ Businesses

Two Australian-born technology providers have joined forces to bring more power and choice to marketers in Australia and New Zealand with mobile messaging that is more local, cost-effective, and integrated. It’s a partnership that sees two Australian software companies come together to deliver a world-class mobile-first solution for marketers building data-driven, personalised, omnichannel campaigns. While […]

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.
  • Media

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. has announced a number of new recruits. B&T unaware if it positively impacted SEEK's share price.

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh
  • Technology

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh

This will be of interest to any Reddit fans, graphic designers or lovers of an orange so bright it burns the retinas.

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market
  • Advertising

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market

Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. The collaboration empowers retailers to maximise and monetise in-store digital display networks and enables advertising partners to easily view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels. With the […]

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label
  • Marketing

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label

Today, 7-Eleven has announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the popular Sydney-based anti-resort wear label Double Rainbouu. Dropping tomorrow, December 1, just in time for summer, this limited-edition capsule will infuse the fashion brand’s rebellious spirit with a distinctly iconic 7-Eleven flavour. The unisex collection features five must-have styles comprising two signature Hawaiian shirts, a peaked cap, a bucket hat […]