The March ABC data shows incredible monthly and yearly rises online for The Guardian and Daily Mail. Guardian Online grew 10.67% per cent in March to 49.2 million compared to a 16.50% rise for Mail Online to 65.9 million.
Both publications are chasing large audiences to make their ad funded models viable. They have each cracked the domestic UK market and as PaidContent reported last week both have the US market in their sights.
If free-to-view digital media is to have a future it’s a numbers game and the US market is the obvious market opportunity. The early indication from today’s ABC numbers is that it’s a strategy that is working for now.
One strategy that hasn’t unfortunately worked has been The Guardian’s UK hyper local web sites which The Guardian has said it is winding down. The sites in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Leeds run by professional journalists generated loyal followings but not revenues.
I’ve long been a fan of hyper local media but without a viable income model its future isn’t looking good.
