The New York Times had 9.4 million digital subscribers as of September 2023, making the publication the global leader in this regard, followed by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post with 3.5 million and 2.5 million online news subscribers respectively. The source noted that The Washington Post lost subscribers whereas other publishers in the ranking generally saw an increase. The Post’s losses were partially attributed to a post-Trump slump in reporting following Biden’s election.
Digital subscriptions – the future for news publishers?
Subscriptions were cited as the most important digital revenue stream for publishers worldwide in every year from 2021 to 2023, ahead of advertising. As subscriptions have increased, customer retention has also become a growing concern, and according to the aforementioned subscriber losses experienced by The Washington Post, is a well-founded one. Retaining paying members is crucial to achieve growth, and publishers must keep abreast of their users’ needs and industry trends in order to do this.
The challenge to achieve sign-ups
Converting readers to becoming paying subscribers to news products is challenging. Even video streaming services are experiencing churn. A 2022 survey revealed that 20 percent of U.S. subscribers aged 18 to 34 years old canceled between two and five subscriptions in the three months running up to the survey. If consumers are sacrificing more popular entertainment subscriptions to save money, news subscriptions could also suffer. In fact, 28 percent of U.S. subscribers canceled their news subscription* in the last year, a figure which could grow higher as the recession worsens and trust continues to fall.
FAQs
Online subscriptions to news websites worldwide 2023
How many digital subscribers are there in New York Times? ›
The New York Times grew its digital-subscriber base by 210,000 to 9.91 million in the first quarter, but posted lower advertising revenue. The news publisher said the ad-revenue decline was due to lower revenue from print and some display advertising, as well as podcast advertising.
Is there a market for digital magazines? ›
Digital Newspapers & Magazines - Worldwide
Revenue in the Digital Newspapers & Magazines is projected to reach US$40.23bn in 2024. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 2.06%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$44.54bn by 2029.
How many times subscribers are there? ›
The Times newspaper subscribers UK 2022, by format
As of June 2023, The Times newspaper had 120,000 print subscribers. The number of digital subscribers on the other hand was over five times higher. However, The Times had the lowest average issue print readership among all News UK publications, and under one million.
How many digital subscribers does the Boston Globe have? ›
Flood told me in an email that the Globe currently has “more than 245,000 digital-only subscriptions.” That's an increase of about 10,000 since February 2022, when then-editor Brian McGrory said in an email to his staff that paid digital was around 235,000.
Who has the most online subscribers? ›
Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world. The company reported 269.6 million global paid memberships as of March 31, 2024. That number was up 3.6% from the previous quarter, and up 16% year-over-year.
How much is digital subscription to New York Times? ›
Your payment method will automatically be charged in advance the introductory rate of $4.00 every 4 weeks for 6 months, and after 6 months the standard rate of $25.00 every 4 weeks. Your subscription will continue until you cancel. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. Taxes may apply.
What magazines are going digital only? ›
The publishing giant Dotdash Meredith will no longer publish print editions of EatingWell, Entertainment Weekly, Health, InStyle, Parents, and People en Español.
Do people still read digital magazines? ›
According to Press Gazette research from August 2022, it doesn't matter whether it is in Europe or overseas: English-speaking readers in both the UK and US prefer to read magazines and newspapers online. The numbers are impressive: in the UK 54% of consumers say so, while in the US the percentage rises to 60%.
Who owns the NY Times? ›
As a public company, The Times trades under the ticker symbol NYT, but the business is controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family through a trust. The publisher, A.G. Sulzberger, is a fifth-generation member of the family. Additional financial information can be found here.
Just £3 for 3 months
Pay just £3 for your first 3 months, then £26 per month thereafter. Smartphone-only access, on one device. Billed nothing for your first month, then £15 a month thereafter. Free trial offer not available to current subscribers.
What are the most read online news outlets? ›
The BBC was again top of the table for visits (992.4 million) although it remained below the one billion visit mark for the second month in a row. It was followed by MSN, New York Times, CNN and Google News (375.6 million). The order of the top five is unchanged from last month.
Does Apple News give full access to WSJ? ›
Apple News+ is a news subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers, including TIME, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, People, and Cosmopolitan. While not all these outlets have a paywall, it's nice to get them in one place.
