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August 26, 2015updated 27 Aug 2015 3:42pm

Regional press digital growth outstrips print decline as Manchester Evening News tops website table

By Dominic Ponsford

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) 

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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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