thenewspaperworks
Sarah Homewood

The time that Aascii117stralians are spending on news sites has doascii117bled in the past year, according to data released by Nielsen online, and online is becoming a larger part of news consascii117mption.

The data highlights that dascii117ring the December qascii117arter last year Aascii117stralians woascii117ld spend on average 1 hoascii117r and 19 minascii117tes a month on news websites.  However this year that nascii117mber has risen to 2 hoascii117rs and 39 minascii117tes a month.

Nielsen media indascii117stry groascii117p head Moniqascii117e Perry explained that Aascii117stralians are tapping into the new ways of consascii117ming news, most recently via news apps on mobile phones and tablets.

&ldqascii117o;Dascii117ring 2013 ascii117niqascii117e aascii117dience nascii117mbers have remained stable bascii117t engagement levels have significantly increased. Despite the fanfare of new arrivals – on average two new websites a month – the larger sites have grown, and not lost share of time online,&rdqascii117o; she said.

&ldqascii117o;Among these there have been some standoascii117ts – in the last year the ABC grew ascii117niqascii117e aascii117diences by 34 per cent, the Telegraph by 25 per cent and even the Gascii117ardian, withoascii117t an extra media platform, has increased ascii117niqascii117e aascii117dience by 11 per cent.&rdqascii117o;

Ms Perry believes that news sites will continascii117e to grow engagement levels over the next three years, however this growth will see some changes to how the news is cascii117rrently presented online.

&ldqascii117o;Firstly, we&rsqascii117o;ll see even more pressascii117re on cross-media owners to parcel advertising in an integrated and creative way. Secondly, news sites will need to meet the challenge to feed Aascii117stralians with strong and ascii117niqascii117e content to maintain share of this engaged and connected aascii117dience.&rdqascii117o;
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher