UK regional newspaper web traffic growth appeared to more than cancel out print readership decline in the first half of this year.
According to ABC, UK regional newspaper websites grew their daily total of unique browsers (difference devices) by an average of 32.8 per cent year on year.
Trinity Mirror has the biggest network of regional press websites, attracting just over 2m browsers per day,
Trinity Mirror’s websites were among the fastest growing in the UK: the Liverpool Echo grew 90.1 per cent year on year, Newcastle Chronicle was up 87.5 per cent and the Manchester Evening News was up 74.8 per cent.
The Manchester Evening News was also the most popular overall regional press website with an average of 573,342 unique browsers per day.
The average rate of regional newspaper print circulation decline ran at 10.2 per cent year on year in the first half of 2015.
UK regional newspaper web traffic (daily unique browsers) for first half of 2015 (source ABC)
Year on year percentage change given when available
| Product | Media Owner | Total | YoY% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Mirror Regional Network | Trinity Mirror plc | 2,069,527 | |
| Newsquest Media Group | Newsquest Media Group | 1,269,287 | 35.5 |
| Local World Network (Web) | Local World | 1,228,953 | 35.1 |
| Johnston Network | Johnston Press plc | 972,454 | 21.3 |
| Manchester Evening News | Trinity Mirror plc | 573,342 | 74.8 |
| Evening Standard | Evening Standard Limited | 485,531 | 78.8 |
| Liverpool Echo | Trinity Mirror plc | 467,766 | 90.1 |
| Wales Online | Trinity Mirror plc | 261,553 | 61.6 |
| Newcastle Chronicle | Trinity Mirror plc | 218,334 | 87.5 |
| Birmingham Mail | Trinity Mirror plc | 212,911 | 71.6 |
| Midland News Association Network | The Midland News Association | 164,511 | 14.8 |
| Expressandstar.com | The Midland News Association | 119,683 | 12.7 |
| Scotsman.com | Johnston Press plc | 106,510 | -33.5 |
| Kent Online (KM Group) network | Kent Messenger Ltd | 105,696 | 59.5 |
| Teesside Evening Gazette | Trinity Mirror plc | 94,144 | 79.5 |
| Bristol Post (Web) | Local World | 88,502 | 48.4 |
| Hull Daily Mail (Web) | Local World | 85,727 | 37.9 |
| heraldscotland.com | Newsquest Media Group | 84,503 | -3.7 |
| dailyecho.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 81,636 | 46.4 |
| Plymouth Herald (Web) | Local World | 76,255 | 37.6 |
| Derby Telegraph (Web) | Local World | 73,563 | 46.9 |
| Nottingham Post (Web) | Local World | 72,511 | 35.3 |
| Daily Post (Wales) | Trinity Mirror plc | 70,571 | |
| Stoke Sentinel | Local World | 70,171 | 50.7 |
| Yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 69,901 | 13.6 |
| Leicester Mercury (Web) | Local World | 69,276 | 40.8 |
| thenorthernecho.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 63,936 | 45.6 |
| Thestar.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 62,317 | 38.7 |
| thetelegraphandargus.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 61,588 | 36.2 |
| Coventry Telegraph | Trinity Mirror plc | 58,966 | -35.9 |
| edinburghnews.scotsman.com | Johnston Press plc | 57,851 | |
| South Wales Evening Post (Web) | Local World | 56,433 | 38.6 |
| Eastern Daily Press | Archant Ltd | 53,135 | |
| theargus.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 51,086 | 27 |
| theboltonnews.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 50,249 | 40.5 |
| Shropshirestar.com | The Midland News Association | 49,938 | 19 |
| eveningtimes.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 48,431 | 41.9 |
| Huddersfield Daily Examiner | Trinity Mirror plc | 47,895 | |
| lancashiretelegraph.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 47,716 | 26.7 |
| Cambridge News (Web) | Local World | 47,537 | 17.9 |
| Sunderlandecho.com | Johnston Press plc | 46,465 | 44 |
| Portsmouth.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 44,919 | 17.4 |
| thepress.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 44,244 | 11.3 |
| Grimsby Telegraph (Web) | Local World | 39,122 | 29.9 |
| newsshopper.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 35,241 | 44.7 |
| Gloucester Citizen/Gloucestershire Echo (Web) | Local World | 34,610 | 35.6 |
| www.jobstoday.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 33,354 | 4.2 |
| Swindonadvertiser.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 31,150 | 25.9 |
| northamptonchronicle.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 31,008 | |
| Blackpoolgazette.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 30,563 | 3.5 |
| Oxfordmail.co.uk | Newsquest Media Group | 30,368 | 13.6 |
| Scunthorpe Telegraph (Web) | Local World | 29,862 | 44.2 |
| LEP.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 28,356 | 30.5 |
| Yorkshirepost.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 25,615 | -10.6 |
| Lincolnshire Echo (Web) | Local World | 23,795 | 5.9 |
| shieldsgazette.com | Johnston Press plc | 22,792 | |
| East Anglian Daily Times | Archant Ltd | 21,040 | |
| Ipswich Star | Archant Ltd | 19,213 | |
| Peterboroughtoday.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 18,927 | -0.1 |
| hartlepoolmail.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 18,813 | |
| wigantoday.net | Johnston Press plc | 17,461 | |
| Norwich Evening News | Archant Ltd | 14,877 | |
| The Journal | Trinity Mirror plc | 12,727 | |
| newsletter.co.uk | Johnston Press plc | 11,745 | |
| Visiter.co.uk | Trinity Mirror plc | 9,274 |
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