The Digital News Consumer

The 20,000 Foot View: As the publishing industry’s issues regarding monetisation move front and centre in the political debate over Facebook’s media influence, the way consumers discover and interact with news content stands at a tipping point. With increasing diversity in consumption patterns across geographical markets and age groups, understanding the digital publishing consumer involves addressing platform distinctions and the wider divide between the traditional and the new. Matters are compounded by greater competition in the saturated app economy, which means ever more aggressive efforts to gain ever more limited audience attention and time.

Key Findings

• BuzzFeed and            are the news destinations for            -            of            year-olds consume content            BuzzFeed, compared to            of            year           

• BuzzFeed’s reach            concentrated among millennials, with overall            just            in the US and            lower in countries like Japan            Germany           

           of BuzzFeed consumers are female 

• Germany and            penetration of consumers uploading videos            YouTube and/or Facebook is            and            but            in Brazil 

           of news consumers aged            have expressed concern over fake news on social media, yet just            of            year olds agree share this view

Companies and brands mentioned: BuzzFeed, Facebook, Financial Times, Vice, YouTube