U.S. Newspapers See Surge in Digital Subscriptions

Earlier this week, the Financial Times became the latest news organization to report a sharp increase in digital subscribers during the blockbuster news year of 2016. According to the FT, both Brexit and the U.S. presidential election boosted new subscriber acquisitions which reached 650,000 by the end of the year.

As our chart illustrates, the Financial Times’ 15 percent increase in digital subscribers seems almost modest compared to other news organizations. The New York Times for example, finished the year with its best quarter ever, adding 276,000 subscribers from October through December. Year-over-year, the ‘failing’ Times added half a million subscribers to its digital news offering.

Considering the growth rates in digital news subscriptions, there are two takeaways. Firstly, it looks as though many people have accepted the fact that online content can be worth paying for, and secondly it appears as if quality news reporting is still in demand, despite the president doing his best to undermine the credibility of the press.