CNN Digital Dominates All Competitors; Largest Digital News Outlet in 2021
ONLY NEWS OUTLET TO HAVE MORE THAN 120M UNIQUES EVERY MONTH OF 2021 YTD
#1 IN US UNIQUE VISITORS, VIDEO VIEWERS, MOBILE, YOUNG ADULTS & POLITICS IN 2021 TO DATE
Every day of 2021, news broke across each area of our lives. In those moments, millions of users all over the globe turned to CNN for reliable and trusted news and information, which the numbers unquestionably show.
Throughout 2021, CNN retained its position as the #1 digital news destination, according to Comscore, by holding the #1 position in every month of 2021 to date in the key categories of U.S. unique visitors, mobile unique visitors, video unique viewers, and young adult unique visitors (November 2021 data is the most current available).
CNN has a monthly average of 143 million unique visitors in 2021 to date and is also the only news outlet to rank in the top five of each of the key categories, with every other competitor falling out of the top five in either video, mobile, global or overall unique visitors. (2021 numbers represent a monthly average of January-November, which is the data currently available)
In 2021, CNN’s number one story of the year was the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol, and the number one video of the year was of the Surfside Building Collapse in Florida.
#1 IN U.S. MULTIPLATFORM UNIQUE VISITORS IN 2021 TO DATE
CNN had a monthly average of 143 million unique visitors in the US, outranking The New York Times by nearly 54 million unique visitors and Fox News by nearly 56 million unique visitors on average in 2021 across mobile and desktop (data is January – November YTD).
1. CNN.com – 143 Million Average Monthly Unique Visitors in 2021 to date
2. The New York Times Brand – 89 million average monthly unique visitors
3. FoxNews.com – 87.4 million average monthly unique visitors
4. NBCNews.com – 86.7 million average monthly unique visitors
5. WashingtonPost.com – 82 million average monthly unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Total Digital Audience – Desktop 2+ and Total Mobile 13+, January-November 2021 monthly average, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to October 2018.
#1 IN UNIQUE VIDEO VIEWERS IN 2021 TO DATE
CNN’s long held lead in video continued throughout 2021, ranking #1 in each recorded month to date. Of news outlets, CNN has been ranked #1 in unique video viewers since the metric was introduced more than 5 years ago. With more unique video viewers and minutes spent than any other news publisher, CNN continued to deliver users the most engaging video experience (data is January – October YTD).
1. CNN.com – 45 Million Average Monthly Multiplatform Video Unique Viewers in 2021 to date
2. NBCNews.com – 32 million average monthly unique video viewers
3. CBSNews.com – 29 million average monthly unique video viewers
4. Yahoo News – 25.7 million average monthly unique video viewers
5. FoxNews.com – 25.5 million average monthly unique video viewers
Source: Comscore Video Metrix®, Custom-Defined List, Total Audience – Desktop Persons 2+ and Total Mobile Persons 18+ and OTT Persons 2+ where tagged, January-November 2021 monthly average, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to October 2018.
#1 IN MOBILE VISITORS FOR 2021 TO DATE
CNN’s 2021 monthly average mobile audience to date was 121, placing it ahead of both second-place The New York Times by nearly 46 million and third-place NBC News by over 47 million mobile unique visitors on average.
1. CNN.com – 121 Million Monthly Average Mobile Unique Visitors in 2021 to Date
2. The New York Times Brand – 75 million average monthly unique visitors
3. NBCNews.com – 74 million average monthly unique visitors
4. WashingtonPost.com – 71 million average monthly unique visitors
5. FoxNews.com – 69 million average monthly unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Total Mobile Persons 13+, January – November 2021 monthly average, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to October 2018.
#1 IN YOUNG ADULTS REACH IN 2021 TO DATE
CNN was the #1 news outlet in unique multiplatform visitors between the ages of 18-34, with an average of 35 million per month in 2021 to date.
1. CNN.com – 35 Million Monthly Average Young Adults Unique Multiplatform Visitors in 2021 to Date
2. The New York Times Brand – 25 million average monthly young adults unique visitors
3. NBCNews.com – 20 million average monthly young adults unique visitors
4. WashingtonPost.com – 19 million average monthly young adults unique visitors
5. USAToday.com – 18 million average monthly young adults unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Digital Audience Persons 18-34, January 2021 – November 2021 monthly average, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to October 2018.
#1 POLITICAL NEWS SOURCE IN 2021 TO DATE
CNN Politics maintained its #1 position in political news throughout every recorded month of 2021 to date, ranking ahead of all competitors.
1. CNN Politics – 54 Million Monthly Average Unique Visitors in 2021 to Date
2. The Hill – 37 million average monthly unique visitors
3. Politico – 31 million average monthly unique visitors
4. Fox News Politics – 20.8 million average monthly unique visitors
5. MSNBC TV – 20.5 million average monthly unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, News/Information – Politics, Total Digital Audience – Desktop 2+ and Total Mobile 13+, January 2021 – November 2021 monthly average, U.S.
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#1 IN U.S. MULTIPLATFORM UNIQUE VISITORS IN NOVEMBER 2021
CNN saw 144 million unique multiplatform visitors domestically in November 2021.
1. CNN.com – 144 Million Multiplatform Unique Visitors in November 2021
2. Yahoo News – 96 million unique visitors
3. FoxNews.com – 91 million unique visitors
4. The New York Times Brand – 89 million unique visitors
5. NBCNews.com – 79 million unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Total Digital Audience – Desktop Persons 2+ and Total Mobile Persons 13+, November 2021, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to November 2018.
#1 IN MOBILE UNIQUE VISITORS IN NOVEMBER 2021
CNN saw 117 million mobile unique visitors in November 2021.
1. CNN.com – 117 Million Mobile Unique Visitors in November 2021
2. Yahoo News – 70.5 million mobile unique visitors
3. The New York Times Brand – 69.6 million mobile unique visitors
4. FoxNews.com – 69 million mobile unique visitors
5. USAToday.com – 66 million mobile unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Total Mobile Persons 13+, November 2021, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to November 2018. Historical claim based on Comscore Mobile Metrix®, Custom-Defined List, Total Mobile Persons 13+, U.S. for October 2021 and prior months.
#1 IN UNIQUE VIDEO VIEWERS IN OCTOBER 2021
CNN’s lead in video continued in October 2021 with 38 million unique video viewers. Of news outlets, CNN has been ranked #1 in unique video viewers since the metric was introduced more than 5 years ago.
1. CNN.com – 38 Million Multiplatform Video Unique Viewers in October 2021
2. NBCNews.com – 33 million unique video viewers
3. CBSNews.com – 32 million unique video viewers
4. Yahoo News – 29 million unique video viewers
5. FoxNews.com – 25 million unique video viewers
Comscore Video Metrix®, Custom-Defined List, Total Audience – Desktop Persons 2+ and Total Mobile Persons 18+ and OTT Persons 2+ where tagged, October 2021, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors that are also in the News/Information Category CNN Brand entity used prior to September 2018.
#1 IN YOUNG ADULT REACH IN NOVEMBER 2021
CNN again ranked as the largest young adult news brand with 34 million unique young adult multiplatform visitors in November 2021.
1. CNN.com – 34 Million Young Adult Unique Multiplatform Visitors in November 2021
2. The New York Times Brand – 25 million young adult unique visitors
3. Yahoo News – 20 million young adult unique visitors
4. USAToday.com – 19 million young adult unique visitors
5. NBCNews.com – 18 million young adult unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-Defined List, Total Digital Audience Persons 18-34, November 2021, U.S. Based on CNN.com entity compared to a custom list of single brand competitors in the News/Information Category. CNN Brand entity used prior to November 2018.
#1 POLITICAL NEWS SOURCE IN NOVEMBER 2021
CNN Politics ranked again as the #1 political news destination with 43 million multiplatform unique visitors – the biggest month in history for CNN Politics. CNN Politics has remained the #1 online political news outlet in unique visitors since January 2016 – nearly six years.
1. CNN Politics – 43 Million Multiplatform Unique Visitors in November 2021
2. The Hill – 29 million unique visitors
3. Politico – 25 million unique visitors
4. Fox News Politics – 23 million unique visitors
5. MSNBC TV – 22 million unique visitors
Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, News/Information – Politics, Total Digital Audience – Desktop 2+ and Total Mobile 13+, November 2021, U.S.
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