Digital Content Attitudes Evolve as Online News Readership Grows

The recent Digital News Report from Reuters Institute highlights the changing ecology of news consumption and the evolution of how consumers access digital content.

As the digital environment continues to develop and become even more accessible, figures show how the consumption of digital content has changed in recent years. A key consideration of this is the growth of mobile, with 46% of global consumers accessing online news from their smartphones weekly.

Access Digital Content with Social Media

As part of the growth of mobile, and consumers using their smartphone to access news on the go, social media usage is on the rise and we have seen more publishers generating traffic because of this. In fact, 76% of social media users regularly access new or different sources of news, leading them to view digital content they would not otherwise see. The ways in which the different social networks are used for news was highlighted, with 62% of consumers actively using Twitter to get news, while 57% see news on Facebook when already on the social network.

Video Content Grows

Television remains the leading source for news in most markets, the report found, with on average over 75% of consumers using it to access news in the week. Reuters also identifies how news video formats are going through a significant transformation, with traditional publishers creating a range of video content for their own websites and for distribution through social media.

There has been a significant jump in the use of online news video, with 23% of global consumers accessing online news videos weekly.

Consumer Loyalty

A key statistic from the report reveals how news content providers are still evoking consumer loyalty, with the majority of consumers reaching news by going direct to the news brand.

Digital Content Monetization

As the attitude towards paid content shifts, with more consumers willing to pay for digital content according to PwC, this report identifies that content providers should take notice, especially when developing digital content monetization strategies involving a range of channels and products.