Local World overtook Newsquest and Johnston Press in the first half of 2014 to become the UK's biggest regional newspaper group online in terms of monthly unique browsers.
According to ABC, between January and June, Local World recorded 16,395,037 average unique monthly browsers – up 90 per cent year on year.
Newsquest recorded 16,069,796 unique monthly browsers (up 48 per cent year on year). But it recorded a greater number of average unique daily users throughout the period than Local World – 936,909 (up 46 per cent) compared with 909,367 for Local World (up 95 per cent).
Johnston Press, meanwhile, recorded 15,513,943 unique monthly browsers (up 39 per cent) and 801,795 unique daily browsers (up 25 per cent).
The above graph, provided by Local World, shows the publisher's growth in online traffic for each month between January and June, with a comparison for 2013.
The biggest individual website in the six-month period was the Scotsman.com, with 2,948,379 unique users a month on average – up 33 per cent year on year – and an average of 160,118 per day.
The most improved website was the Scunthorpe Telegraph, with 415,294 unique users a month, up 116 per cent.
The only website audited by ABC in the six months to drop web users was the Gloucester Citizen/ Gloucestershire Echo, which had an average 505,126 unique users a month, which was down 2 per cent.
Trinity Mirror's regional media website are now auditly monthly, their figures for July 2014 can be viewed here. The most popular UK regional newspaper website is Trinity Mirror's Manchester Evening News with an average of 339,124 unique browsers per day.
Trinity Mirror's group digital total is 80.9m unique browsers per month, and 4.7m per day, bit this also includes its national titles.
A unique browser as measured by ABC is a different device accessing a website.
Here is the full set of regional online ABCs for the first half of 2014:
Title (publisher at top of group in bold) | Avg daily uniques, Jan-June | Avg monthly uniques, Jan-June | Daily % chg y/y | Monthly % chg y/y |
Johnston Network | 801,795 | 15,513,943 | 24.5% | 39.20% |
Blackpoolgazette.co.uk | 29,540 | 413,293 | 52.2% | 63.40% |
Halifaxcourier.co.uk | 12,558 | 184,400 | 5.7% | 12.30% |
LEP.co.uk | 21,727 | 352,826 | 11.5% | 14.40% |
Peterboroughtoday.co.uk | 18,948 | 297,735 | 31.3% | 38.00% |
Portsmouth.co.uk | 38,253 | 572,171 | 34.3% | 48.30% |
Scotsman.com | 160,118 | 2,948,379 | 33.8% | 32.90% |
Sunderlandecho.com | 32,260 | 507,964 | 56.3% | 54.60% |
Thestar.co.uk | 44,919 | 737,033 | 26.7% | 35.60% |
Yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk | 61,506 | 870,101 | 44.2% | 41.60% |
Yorkshirepost.co.uk | 28,658 | 634,973 | 43.2% | 47.50% |
Kent Messenger Ltd | 66,287 | 1,218,261 | 91.7% | 91.10% |
Local World Network (Web) | 909,367 | 16,395,037 | 95.1% | 89.70% |
Bristol Post (Web) | 59,624 | 1,226,519 | 82.9% | 85.30% |
Cambridge News (Web) | 40,326 | 777,299 | 47.5% | 60.30% |
Derby Telegraph (Web) | 50,084 | 926,153 | 72.6% | 77.60% |
Gloucester Citizen/Gloucestershire Echo (Web) | 25,519 | 505,126 | -4.3% | -2.20% |
Grimsby Telegraph (Web) | 30,127 | 500,580 | 41.8% | 38.30% |
Hull Daily Mail (Web) | 62,181 | 964,047 | 61.2% | 56.10% |
Leicester Mercury (Web) | 49,208 | 917,543 | 53.9% | 51.20% |
Lincolnshire Echo (Web) | 22,465 | 461,144 | 41.6% | 48.80% |
Nottingham Post (Web) | 53,591 | 986,733 | 41.9% | 43.40% |
Plymouth Herald (Web) | 55,400 | 986,702 | 82.3% | 97.40% |
Scunthorpe Telegraph (Web) | 20,715 | 415,294 | 100.9% | 115.6% |
South Wales Evening Post (Web) | 40,726 | 828,486 | 67.2% | 62.90% |
Stoke Sentinel | 46,570 | 857,587 | 53.6% | 47.10% |
Midland News Association Network | 143,335 | 2,641,904 | 64.0% | 67.7% |
Expressandstar.com | 106,231 | 1,948,019 | 60.9% | 66.70% |
Shropshirestar.com | 41,952 | 825,568 | 74.2% | 72.30% |
Newsquest Media Group | 936,909 | 16,069,796 | 45.5% | 47.7% |
dailyecho.co.uk | 55,744 | 841,686 | 42.9% | 43.0% |
eveningtimes.co.uk | 34,139 | 626,532 | 73.1% | 81.0% |
heraldscotland.com | 87,795 | 1,828,830 | 37.2% | 48.8% |
lancashiretelegraph.co.uk | 37,662 | 638,640 | 28.8% | 35.0% |
newsshopper.co.uk | 24,293 | 479,207 | 47.6% | 44.0% |
Oxfordmail.co.uk | 26,728 | 466,592 | 46.5% | 46.0% |
Swindonadvertiser.co.uk | 24,748 | 348,975 | 16.8% | 17.5% |
theargus.co.uk | 40,236 | 656,605 | 17.7% | 20.0% |
theboltonnews.co.uk | 35,772 | 545,830 | 62.7% | 59.2% |
thenorthernecho.co.uk | 43,916 | 808,356 | 47.0% | 41.9% |
thepress.co.uk | 39,738 | 624,393 | 40.8% | 36.7% |
thetelegraphandargus.co.uk | 45,225 | 712,217 | 44.6% | 46.1% |
Here are the individual titles in order of daily unique users:
Title | Avg daily uniques, Jan-June | Avg monthly unqiues, Jan-June | Daily % chg y/y | Monthly % chg y/y |
Scotsman.com | 160,118 | 2,948,379 | 33.8% | 32.90% |
Expressandstar.com | 106,231 | 1,948,019 | 60.9% | 66.70% |
heraldscotland.com | 87,795 | 1,828,830 | 37.2% | 48.8% |
Hull Daily Mail (Web) | 62,181 | 964,047 | 61.2% | 56.10% |
Yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk | 61,506 | 870,101 | 44.2% | 41.60% |
Bristol Post (Web) | 59,624 | 1,226,519 | 82.9% | 85.30% |
dailyecho.co.uk | 55,744 | 841,686 | 42.9% | 43.0% |
Plymouth Herald (Web) | 55,400 | 986,702 | 82.3% | 97.40% |
Nottingham Post (Web) | 53,591 | 986,733 | 41.9% | 43.40% |
Derby Telegraph (Web) | 50,084 | 926,153 | 72.6% | 77.60% |
Leicester Mercury (Web) | 49,208 | 917,543 | 53.9% | 51.20% |
Stoke Sentinel | 46,570 | 857,587 | 53.6% | 47.10% |
thetelegraphandargus.co.uk | 45,225 | 712,217 | 44.6% | 46.1% |
Thestar.co.uk | 44,919 | 737,033 | 26.7% | 35.60% |
thenorthernecho.co.uk | 43,916 | 808,356 | 47.0% | 41.9% |
Shropshirestar.com | 41,952 | 825,568 | 74.2% | 72.30% |
South Wales Evening Post (Web) | 40,726 | 828,486 | 67.2% | 62.90% |
Cambridge News (Web) | 40,326 | 777,299 | 47.5% | 60.30% |
theargus.co.uk | 40,236 | 656,605 | 17.7% | 20.0% |
thepress.co.uk | 39,738 | 624,393 | 40.8% | 36.7% |
Portsmouth.co.uk | 38,253 | 572,171 | 34.3% | 48.30% |
lancashiretelegraph.co.uk | 37,662 | 638,640 | 28.8% | 35.0% |
theboltonnews.co.uk | 35,772 | 545,830 | 62.7% | 59.2% |
eveningtimes.co.uk | 34,139 | 626,532 | 73.1% | 81.0% |
Sunderlandecho.com | 32,260 | 507,964 | 56.3% | 54.60% |
Grimsby Telegraph (Web) | 30,127 | 500,580 | 41.8% | 38.30% |
Blackpoolgazette.co.uk (JP) | 29,540 | 413,293 | 52.2% | 63.40% |
Yorkshirepost.co.uk | 28,658 | 634,973 | 43.2% | 47.50% |
Oxfordmail.co.uk | 26,728 | 466,592 | 46.5% | 46.0% |
Gloucester Citizen/Gloucestershire Echo (Web) | 25,519 | 505,126 | -4.3% | -2.20% |
Swindonadvertiser.co.uk | 24,748 | 348,975 | 16.8% | 17.5% |
newsshopper.co.uk | 24,293 | 479,207 | 47.6% | 44.0% |
Lincolnshire Echo (Web) | 22,465 | 461,144 | 41.6% | 48.80% |
LEP.co.uk | 21,727 | 352,826 | 11.5% | 14.40% |
Scunthorpe Telegraph (Web) | 20,715 | 415,294 | 100.9% | 115.6% |
Peterboroughtoday.co.uk | 18,948 | 297,735 | 31.3% | 38.00% |
Halifaxcourier.co.uk (JP) | 12,558 | 184,400 | 5.7% | 12.30% |
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