What you need to know

While print news remains on its trajectory of decline, people’s online news habits are continuing to evolve. Mintel’s consumer research shows that 49% of people now read news online in a typical week, while 20% of 16-34s are reading news on a mobile device via an app. Social media is now playing a more central role in how people find out about the news, with younger people significantly less likely to go straight to a news brand’s own website/app but are directed there via social media. As a result creating more ‘shareable’ content has become a priority for online publishers.

Media giants such as Facebook, Apple and Twitter are looking to expand the role they play in regards to news consumption and discovery, with features such as Instant Articles and Twitter Moments. These developments could potentially negatively impact individual news brands as people remain within Facebook or Apple’s eco-systems. Publishers partnering with these features should look to take advantage of the advertising and data possibilities, while also maintaining strict control over content design to mitigate damage to the strength of their news brand.

Definition

This report examines the ways in which people in the UK consume news, with primary focus given to print and online news sources. News is considered to be regional, national or international issues and stories. Methods of news consumption considered in this report include:

  • National and regional newspapers in both print and online formats.

  • Other online news sources, such as BBC News, BuzzFeed and vice.com.

  • Social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

This report principally focuses on national news sources over regional news sources.

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