The Nielsen Digital Ratings Monthly (NDRM) are in this morning and once again News’ News.com.au remains Australia’s most read news site.

News.com.au recorded 5,499,00 unique users followed by Fairfax’s SMH.com.au with 4,709,000 and ABC News websites with 4,330,000. There was no change in that order from the previous ratings.

However, the ratings need to be taken with a grain of salt. Many publishers combine all their sites to inflate numbers while some sites – News, ABC and The Guardian, as examples – are not behind paywalls.

The top 10 sites according to the NDRM are:

Michael Miller, executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, said of the results: “We are delighted with this second stage launch from Nielsen which gives the market insight into audiences across all digital devices for the first time. The data confirms that News Corp Australia is the country’s biggest digital publisher, with a monthly reach of 11.624m.”

Ian McClelland, managing director, the Guardian Australia (which moved up two spots to number five) said: “This is a huge milestone for us, reaching top five was a goal when we launched the local edition in 2013. We’re on track with our business plan and are bolstering our capabilities in native content, data, video and events to build a sustainable business in Australia. The ranking is a testament to our investment in editorial. Our readers recognise the Guardian is a strong, influential and independent voice which is much needed in this country.”

Fairfax Media commercial and marketing services director and IAB Australia Board member, Tom Armstrong, said: “DRM is the new industry­ supported currency of digital audience measurement. It better reflects the fast progress Fairfax has made in growing digital audiences, particularly via mobile.

“The new methodology confirms the Fairfax Media network as Australia’s most popular digital publisher of quality content and journalism. It underlines the strength of our network in reaching and engaging with large­scale audiences and creating powerful connections between those audiences and advertisers.”