News subscriptions continue to grow around the world

News publishers are starting to find their footing in the digital era by turning to the increasingly profitable subscription-based business model.

As the chart below illustrates, the top four publishers remain largely unchanged due to the healthy number of subscribers each has. The New York Times saw another all-star year by growing its news subscription by a half a million worldwide, securing its number one spot in the rankings yet again. The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post both maintained their position by expanding their subscription bases as well. The reporting periods are slightly different based on the organization, but the top 4 brands largely remain unchanged on the list even when taking this into account.

While some major publishers carried their success from one year to the next, the GDS ranking also had some upsets. Aftonbladet and The Economist both dropped down from last year, due to the stagnant and slight subscription growth of each organization.

Along with the upsets, the GDS ranking also had notable successes. Bild was the publisher with the biggest jump on the list, moving up three places, reflecting the wider, positive trend across the German market. The Guardian also saw significant movement in its ranking, moving up 2 places by nearly doubling its number of subscribers. While these are impressive numbers, the Guardian’s business model differs from all other brands on the list, making them difficult to compare to other organizations.