US News Websites See Double-Digit Declines Despite Iran War

The **Press Gazette**'s monthly ranking of the top 50 news websites in the US also shows that **ABC News** saw a significant month-on-month growth, up 87% to 23.6 million visits, likely due to a domain switch in early February. However, **The Sun** dropped the most compared to the month before, down 14% to 26.5 million visits. The data highlights the challenges faced by news websites in maintaining their online presence and audience engagement. [[abc-news|ABC News]]' growth can be attributed to its ability to adapt to changing online trends, while **The Sun**'s decline may be due to increased competition from other online news sources, such as [[the-new-york-times|The New York Times]].

• More than half of the top 50 news websites in the US saw double-digit year-on-year traffic declines in March
• Al Jazeera saw significant growth, up 143% month on month and 182% year on year
• Newsweek saw the largest year-on-year decline, down 55% to 43.2 million visits
• The news industry is facing significant challenges in terms of audience engagement and revenue generation
• Niche news outlets, such as Al Jazeera, are thriving in a competitive market

The data highlights the challenges faced by news websites in maintaining their online presence and audience engagement. While some websites, such as **Al Jazeera** and **ABC News**, saw significant growth, others, such as **Newsweek** and **The Sun**, experienced declines. The fact that more than half of the top 50 news websites saw year-on-year traffic declines in March suggests that the news industry is still struggling to adapt to the changing online landscape. [[press-gazette|Press Gazette]]'s refinement of the list to exclude sites with a less journalistic focus may also impact the rankings, as it prioritizes quality over quantity.

The growth of **Al Jazeera** and **ABC News** suggests that there is still a strong demand for quality news content online. The fact that more than half of the top 50 news websites saw month-on-month traffic growth in March indicates that the news industry is adapting to the changing online landscape. [[al-jazeera|Al Jazeera]]'s success can be seen as a positive sign for the industry, as it shows that niche news outlets can thrive in a competitive market. Furthermore, **ABC News**' ability to bounce back from a domain switch demonstrates the resilience of established news brands.

The significant year-on-year declines experienced by many of the top 50 news websites, including **Newsweek** and **Forbes**, suggest that the news industry is struggling to maintain its online presence. The fact that more than half of the top 50 news websites saw double-digit year-on-year traffic declines in March indicates that the industry is facing significant challenges in terms of audience engagement and revenue generation. [[similarweb|Similarweb]]'s data may also be limited by its reliance on machine learning and modelling, which may not accurately capture the complexities of the online news landscape.

Originally reported by Press Gazette