Digital news publishers in India witnessed a sharp decline in web traffic as the number of unique visitors to their websites fell significantly in January 2024 compared to January 2023, according to comScore data. Did.
Leading English language news publishers witnessed a 10-35% drop in unique visitors in January 2024 compared to a year ago. The list includes Indian Express (28%), Times Internet (27%), India Today (19%), HT Media Group (14%), Network 18 (14%) and NDTV (15%). Masu. Hindu and Jagran fared well compared to the rest, with web traffic decline staying below his 4%.
The decline in traffic also means a decline in digital ad revenue, which has been a substantial source of income for most publishers for the past few years. However, publishers claim that traffic flow to news websites is seasonal, as it depends on the news cycle.
In particular, digital news aggregators like InShorts reported a 268 percent increase in unique visitors over the same period, while DailyHunt reported an increase of about 13 percent. This indicates that the snackable news segment could grow in the future. TV9 and Times Network also jumped 4%.
A more in-depth analysis reveals that the decline in web traffic isn't just due to advances in AI or Google's updates. Industry experts say broader changes in online content consumption patterns, a sharp decline in social media referral traffic, increased competition and a general apathy towards news are compounding the problem.
This came at a time when publishers were already facing the challenge of increasing revenue from their printing operations. e4m reached out to all the publishers mentioned above to understand the reasons behind the sudden drop in traffic. Their response is awaited.
e4m reported last year that its digital news platform was experiencing a decline in web and mobile traffic. The main reasons are the entry of AI and changes in Google's algorithm.
However, Pradeep Gairola, business head at The Hindu Digital, has a different perspective. “First, web traffic depends on the news cycle, so comparing data from month to month at the news site level can give a false impression. Some months are marked by major events, such as elections or wars; Some months are boring. Secondly, it is very normal for traffic to fluctuate by 4-5% at the news site level.”
He also said that the overall decline in online news consumption at an industry level has been in the works for several years. Social media referral traffic has dropped significantly, especially since Facebook (now his Meta) was decoupled from news, and increased competition from news sites to churn out similar low-quality content has contributed to the traffic decline. That's the main reason. Additionally, interest in “news” has been negatively affected around the world since the coronavirus outbreak. This may be cyclical and we will be able to understand it better in the coming months.
Interest in news declines
The Google Trends report, which provides a broad idea about internet consumption patterns, also shows that consumption of English news in India has remained roughly flat for the past four years, apart from temporary spikes due to major incidents and events. I am. For example, the spike in September 2023 is believed to be due to diplomatic issues between India and Canada.
According to TRAI, over 900 million Indians have access to the internet. However, according to a recently released EY report, there were only 456 million digital news users in India at the end of 2023. This suggests that half of the internet-savvy population does not access online news.
This is not just an Indian phenomenon. CNN, BBC, Fox News, and CNBC are also facing declines in web traffic, according to media reports.
“According to a report by Comscore, news consumption is decreasing across the world. One of the main reasons for the same is that younger users are not interested in news-related topics. News is a latent need and its increase or decrease depends on news events,” says Sandeep Amar, founder of PDlab.me.
Gen Z has largely stayed away from news, whether online or otherwise. They prefer sports, entertainment, business, and international content. Besides, the average reader who has seen enough disruption during the pandemic's two long years of disruption doesn't want to consume negative news anymore. Leading marketers told e4m that a significant portion of viewers are moving to OTT platforms.
“Comscore data is inconsistent”
Some publishers also questioned ComScore's data. “Comscore data is inconsistent and we have been working with comscore to address this. We hope it will be fixed soon. However, according to comscore data, pages Views have increased by 18%, making us the only growing player among the major English language news publishers in the country,” Puneet Jain, CEO, HT Media Group, HT Digital, told e4m.
He added that HT Media Group has experienced consistent growth across all digital platforms, led by relevant content offerings and user-centric products. “For example, according to his September 2023 report in Press Gazette, Livemint has emerged as the fastest growing news website in the world,” he said.
“Lok Sabha polls will increase traffic.”
Amar and Gairola expect that news consumption is likely to increase from next month onwards as India approaches national elections.
In particular, the country's general elections are scheduled for May-June. More than 950 million people will vote to elect the next government. Elections are fierce battles with many ups and downs, from nominations and pre-opinion polls to results and the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister.
Alternative revenue sources
Publishers are exploring alternative platforms and strategies to drive traffic and engage audiences. This includes a focus on messaging services like WhatsApp, business networks like LinkedIn, and new sources like Google Discover and Threads, industry leaders say.
Diversification of traffic sources reduces the risks associated with the declining influence of traditional search engines on news consumption and social media platforms such as Meta and , which aims to pivot towards more controlled delivery channels. .
Additionally, the shift toward video content has been significant, with many respondents indicating plans to produce more visual content in addition to producing more newsletters and podcasts.
To protect their valuable content, major news publishers also blocked OpenAI's web scanning tools last year.
