Top 50 Global News Websites Experience Traffic Drop in December Following US Election
Timely News Alerts’ Analysis of the 50 Largest English-Language News Websites Worldwide, Updated Monthly
In December, two-fifths of the top English-language global news sites experienced a decline in web traffic of 10% or more compared to the previous month.
The biggest drops were seen among major US political and hard news outlets, which had benefited most from the traffic boost generated by November’s US election. Notable declines included NBC News (91.5 million visits, down 46.5%), the Associated Press (108.1 million, down 39.5%), and CBS News (83.9 million, down 25.7%).
Among the top 50 most popular news websites globally, 36 saw fewer visits in December compared to November. However, when comparing year-on-year traffic, 23 of these sites saw an increase in visits compared to December 2023.
Month-on-month, most of the ten most-visited news sites lost traffic. CNN experienced the largest decline, with 497.3 million visits, down 25%. Fox News followed with 278.7 million visits, a 19.8% drop, while The New York Times had 633.5 million visits, down 13.8%. The Guardian also saw a decrease, with 292.5 million visits, a drop of 12.4%.
Top Ten Most-Visited English-Language News Websites -Traffic Change
(December 2024)
| Website | Percentage Change |
|---|---|
| india.com | +9.4% |
| dailymail.co.uk | +5.8% |
| finance.yahoo.com | +3.6% |
| news.google.com | +3.5% |
| bbc.co.uk & bbc.com | -0.6% |
| msn.com | -8.5% |
| theguardian.com | -12.4% |
| nytimes.com | -13.8% |
| foxnews.com | -19.8% |
| cnn.com | -25.0% |
The Daily Mail (274.6 million visits, a 5.8% increase month-on-month) and India.com (188.8 million visits, up 9.4%) were among the few top ten sites to experience growth in visits compared to November.
The highest month-on-month growth within the broader top 50 came from the sports news site Athlon Sports (57 million visits), which spent 2024 climbing the ranks of the US top 50. In December, it made its debut on the global top 50, showing a remarkable 38% growth. It was followed by the UK’s Daily Express (59.6 million visits, up 17.6%).
December 2024’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Sites in the Global Top 50 by Visits
| Website | Percentage Change |
|---|---|
| athlonsports.com | +38.0% |
| express.co.uk | +17.6% |
| india.com | +9.4% |
| buzzfeed.com | +7.7% |
| dailymail.co.uk | +5.8% |
| oneindia.com | +4.2% |
| finance.yahoo.com | +3.6% |
| news.google.com | +3.5% |
| rt.com | +3.2% |
| indianexpress.com | +3.0% |
Athlon Sports recorded the highest year-on-year growth among the top 50 sites, with visits surging by 353% compared to December 2023. The second-largest year-on-year increase came from the Indian news site India.com, which saw a 146.6% rise and entered the top ten global English-language news websites for the first time.
Top 10 Fastest-Growing Websites Year-on-Year Among the Top 50 English-Language Sites by Global Visits, December 2024
| Website | Year-on-Year Growth |
|---|---|
| athlonsports.com | +353.0% |
| india.com | +146.6% |
| apnews.com | +50.8% |
| substack.com | +39.6% |
| abcnews.go.com | +36.6% |
| forbes.com | +32.0% |
| nbcnews.com | +20.4% |
| people.com | +9.8% |
| nytimes.com | +9.6% |
| express.co.uk | Data Missing |
Despite experiencing month-on-month visitor declines, there was significant year-on-year growth for the AP (up 50.8%) and NBC News (up 20.4%), as well as for other major publishers such as ABC News (64.5 million visits, up 36.6%) and The New York Times (up 9.6%).
CNN (up 2.9%) and the BBC (1.1 billion visits, up 1.8%) also saw modest year-on-year growth. However, half of the top ten websites by visits experienced a drop in traffic compared to December 2023. These included the Daily Mail (down 18.9%), Fox News (down 10.1%), and The Guardian (down 9.6%).
Top Ten Websites Globally by Monthly Visits, Year-on-Year Change, December 2024
| Website | Year-on-Year Change (%) |
|---|---|
| india.com | +146.6% |
| nytimes.com | +9.6% |
| cnn.com | +2.9% |
| finance.yahoo.com | +2.4% |
| bbc.co.uk & bbc.com | +1.8% |
| news.google.com | -1.1% |
| msn.com | -7.8% |
| theguardian.com | -9.6% |
| foxnews.com | -10.1% |
| dailymail.co.uk | -18.9% |
The sharpest year-on-year declines were observed among British and Indian news websites. The greatest drop was seen at India Today (74.1 million visits, down 37.7%), followed by Live Mint (63.6 million visits, down 35.6%), The Sun (60.3 million visits, down 33%), CNN affiliate News18 (167.1 million visits, down 28.8%), and The Daily Mirror (56.4 million visits, down 24.8%).
Top 50 English-Language News Websites Globally, December 2024
| Rank | Website | Monthly Visits | Year-on-Year Change | Month-on-Month Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | bbc.co.uk and bbc.com | 1,070,211,577 | +1.8% | -0.6% |
| 2 | nytimes.com | 633,527,810 | +9.6% | -13.8% |
| 3 | msn.com | 543,049,991 | -7.8% | -8.5% |
| 4 | cnn.com | 497,318,427 | +2.9% | -25.0% |
| 5 | news.google.com | 337,587,750 | -1.1% | +3.5% |
| 6 | theguardian.com | 292,548,182 | -9.6% | -12.4% |
| 7 | foxnews.com | 278,692,795 | -10.1% | -19.8% |
| 8 | dailymail.co.uk | 274,584,476 | -18.9% | +5.8% |
| 9 | finance.yahoo.com | 234,530,431 | +2.4% | +3.6% |
| 10 | india.com | 188,813,275 | +146.6% | +9.4% |
| 11 | news.yahoo.com | 186,287,638 | -15.4% | +0.2% |
| 12 | indiatimes.com | 184,855,223 | +6.8% | -2.0% |
| 13 | people.com | 178,745,856 | +9.8% | +0.9% |
| 14 | forbes.com | 169,674,533 | +32.0% | -6.4% |
| 15 | news18.com | 167,054,906 | -28.8% | -10.1% |
| 16 | usatoday.com | 159,785,946 | -2.2% | -31.7% |
| 17 | nypost.com | 159,526,041 | +6.1% | -1.1% |
| 18 | hindustantimes.com | 127,992,933 | -4.9% | -8.7% |
| 19 | ndtv.com | 111,876,733 | -7.0% | -7.3% |
| 20 | oneindia.com | 109,973,752 | -4.8% | +4.2% |
Continue reading for past coverage of the world’s top 50 news websites in previous months.
November 2024
In November 2024, American hard news outlets saw significant traffic boosts amid the US presidential election and its aftermath, according to Similarweb data.
NBC News saw the largest month-on-month traffic increase among the world’s top 50 most-visited English-language news sites, with 170.9 million visits—a rise of 56.3%. Close behind, the Associated Press reported 178.8 million visits, up 56% compared to October.
Both NBC News and the AP also experienced the highest year-on-year growth among the top 50, with the AP’s traffic surging 161.4% from November 2023, while NBC News saw a 120.9% increase. ABC News also saw a notable 92.2% year-on-year growth, reaching 85.1 million visits.
Other major news sites to experience substantial traffic gains in November include Fox News (347.3 million visits, up 21.8%), CBS News (112.8 million, up 19.7%), CNN (662.8 million, up 11.5%), The New York Times (734.8 million, up 11.6%), and Reuters (105.7 million, up 14.3%).
In contrast, nearly half of the top 50 sites saw traffic declines, although the drops were generally small. Huffpost recorded the largest month-on-month decrease, down 12% to 58.1 million visits, followed by News18 (185.9 million, down 11%).
Among the top ten English-language news sites, Fox News saw the largest growth, followed by USA Today (233.9 million, up 12%), The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian (333.8 million, up 4.1%), and the BBC (1.1 billion, up 3.3%), which remains the top publisher globally.
Google News saw the biggest drop among the top ten, down 4.7% to 326.3 million visits, with MSN also experiencing a decline of 3.4%.
After the AP, NBC, and ABC, India.com (172.5 million, up 92%) saw the largest year-on-year growth in the global top 50. Politico (63.2 million, up 60.6%), Substack (94.3 million, up 65.9%), and Newsweek (128.9 million, up 65.9%) also ranked among the fastest-growing.
Among the top ten, USA Today had the highest year-on-year growth, with visits increasing by 65.4% from November 2023. The New York Times followed with a 35.1% increase, CNN saw a 34.1% jump, and Fox News grew 17.2%. On the other hand, Google News and DailyMail.co.uk lost traffic, with the Mail seeing a 16.9% drop.
Overall, nine of the top 50 publishers experienced year-on-year traffic declines, with the largest drop at News Corp’s news.com.au (69.5 million, down 21.9%) and significant losses also seen at UK tabloids like The Sun and the Daily Mirror.
October 2024
In October 2024, most of the top 50 English-language news sites saw a drop in year-on-year traffic but experienced month-on-month growth following two months of declines.
Newsweek, which has been among the fastest-growing news sites of 2024, topped the charts with a 105.6% increase in visits, reaching 131.6 million. India.com (191.2 million, up 86%) and Substack (86.9 million, up 44.4%) also saw notable growth, possibly driven by interest around the US election.
Other American news outlets such as CBS News (94.3 million, up 26.3%), ABC News (71.5 million, up 23.1%), and the Associated Press (114.6 million, up 13.8%) saw solid year-on-year growth.
However, 31 of the top 50 publishers experienced traffic declines compared to October 2023. The largest drop was at Al Jazeera (66.2 million, down 34%), followed by major UK tabloids like Mail Online (268 million, down 28%), The Mirror (62.4 million, down 23.5%), and The Sun (61.6 million, down 23.4%).
Among the top ten most-visited English-language news sites, the New York Times recorded the highest year-on-year increase (6.3%, with 546 million visits), followed by Yahoo Finance (229.4 million, up 4.6%) and MSN (614 million, up 3.5%). Most other sites in the top ten saw declines, with Mail Online and Fox News experiencing the largest drops.
While the overall year-on-year trends were generally negative, October saw several sites experience month-on-month growth. Yahoo Finance, for example, posted a 7.3% increase, while the BBC News site grew by 5.7%, The New York Times by 5.6%, and The Guardian by 5.5%.
Al Jazeera, which had seen a significant year-on-year decline, recorded the largest month-on-month increase (38.4%). Other sites with notable month-on-month growth included India.com (up 36.1%), NDTV (118.9 million, up 15.9%), and Newsweek (up 20.6%).
September 2024
In September 2024, half of the world’s top 50 most-visited English-language news sites saw year-on-year traffic growth, but nearly all experienced month-on-month declines.
The only sites to grow month-on-month were CBS News (102.3 million visits, up 18%) and India.com (140.5 million, up 42%). India.com’s strong performance highlights the ongoing trend of Indian news sites showing resilience, with several other Indian sites also seeing notable growth or stability.
Among the sites with smaller month-on-month declines were US-based news giants like NBC News (106.6 million visits, down 2.4%), The New York Times (517.3 million, down 3.6%), and CNN (571.2 million, down 5.9%), possibly due to the anticipation of the US presidential election in November.
Many major English-language news sites, especially those outside India, saw sharp declines compared to July, following a highly eventful month marked by the Paris Olympics, Joe Biden exiting the presidential race, and an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. On the other hand, Indian news sites generally fared better, either increasing traffic or maintaining it from the previous month.
Notable drops were observed at Canadian broadcaster CBC (60.3 million visits, down 37.9%), as well as several UK publications like The Sun (60.2 million, down 23.3%), The Telegraph (109.1 million, down 19.8%), The Daily Express (59.4 million, down 16.2%), and The Daily Mirror (59.5 million, down 16.2%).
Year-on-year, UK sites like The Mirror (down 34.9%), The Sun (down 23.2%), and The Daily Mail (279 million, down 20.2%) were among the biggest decliners. Other significant drops came from Indian sites like Live Mint (down 26.8%), India Today (down 26.8%), The Hindu (down 20%), NDTV (down 17.2%), and Rediff (61 million, down 14.2%).
Meanwhile, Newsweek (109 million, up 108.3%) continued to be the fastest-growing year-on-year, followed by CBS, ABC News (69.4 million, up 51.8%), and India.com. Approximately a third of the top 50 sites saw double-digit year-on-year growth.
Among the top ten most-visited English-language sites, there was little month-on-month growth. The New York Times, CNN, MSN (601.2 million visits, down 6.1%), and Google News (329.2 million, down 6.3%) saw the smallest declines, while the largest drops were at The Guardian (303.8 million, down 11.7%), The Daily Mail, and Yahoo Finance (213.7 million, down 11.1%).
In terms of year-on-year growth, The New York Times saw the largest increase with a 14% rise, followed by CNN (up 10%), MSN (up 5%), and Fox News (288.5 million visits, up 2.8%). However, The Daily Mail saw the steepest decline, shedding 20% of its traffic, followed by the BBC’s sites (986 million, down 10.6%), despite remaining the most-visited English-language news source globally. The Guardian also saw a year-on-year decline of 4%, marking a negative trend for British news outlets in the top ten.
August 2024
In August 2024, most of the top 50 most-visited English-language news sites saw year-on-year growth, despite month-on-month traffic declines.
American and British news sites experienced sharp drops in visits following a busy July, which included the Paris Olympics, Joe Biden exiting the presidential race, and an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Indian news sites, however, showed resilience, with five of the 12 sites that grew their traffic being Indian, and several others maintaining steady numbers from July.
Newsweek (up 141%, reaching 134.9 million visits) continued its trend of being the fastest-growing site year-on-year, having been the fastest or second-fastest growing every month since December 2023. It was followed by ABC News (78.1 million, up 71%), People (205.2 million, up 53%), and Substack (82.9 million, up 45%).
Indian sites continued to perform well year-on-year, with Indiatimes (194.2 million, up 41%) and DNAIndia (72.1 million, up 38%) ranking among the top ten fastest-growing sites in the top 50.
Among the ten most-visited English-language news sites, the growth picture was mixed. Indian site News18 (254 million, up 11%) entered the top ten for the first time, while The New York Times (536.4 million, up 9%) and MSN (640.4 million, up 3%) also grew. The Daily Mail, however, saw the largest decline in visits year-on-year, dropping 18% to 314.8 million.
Despite the growth of Indian sites, IndiaToday (99.6 million, down 22%) and The Mirror (71 million, down 35%) saw significant year-on-year traffic declines, with the Mirror experiencing the second-largest drop across the top 50.
Month-on-month, DNAIndia saw the largest traffic increase, with a 49% rise compared to July. It was followed by India.com (99 million, up 29%) and Canada’s CBC (97.1 million, up 31%).
Overall, only a few sites saw double-digit month-on-month growth, with the biggest declines seen at major American news outlets. NBC News dropped the most month-on-month, shedding 28% of its traffic, followed by ABC News (down 17%).
Among the top ten, the month-on-month growth was minimal, with Yahoo Finance (240.5 million, up 2%) and News18 (up 0.2%) being the only ones to show increases. CNN (607.2 million, down 14%), Fox News (324.5 million, down 12%), and Mail Online (down 8%) saw the most significant drops.
July 2024
July 2024 was a highly eventful month for news websites, leading to significant growth in traffic across many major outlets. The month saw a variety of global headlines, including an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s announcement not to stand for re-election, and the start of the Paris Olympics.
The fastest-growing news websites were predominantly US-based, with Newsweek, ABC News, and AP News all registering year-on-year growth of over 100%. The only exception was India-based NDTV.com. Seven out of the top ten English-language news sites grew year-on-year, with CNN and Fox News both seeing traffic rise by more than 20%.
The BBC remained the largest news site globally, with 1.2 billion visits per month. However, it should be noted that this includes traffic across the entire BBC domain, not just the news section.
In terms of month-on-month growth, ABC News (up 79%) and UK-based Sky News (up 47%) were the fastest-growing global news websites.
May 2024
In May 2024, the BBC saw the largest month-on-month growth among the top ten news websites, with a 9% increase, bringing it to 1.1 billion visits. Fox News (292 million, up 8%), The New York Times (685.5 million, up 4%), and Google News (383.2 million, up 3%) also saw increases in visits.
Notably, there was no decline in traffic among the top ten sites compared to April, although The Daily Mail (364.9 million) and India Times (287.9 million) showed little to no change in their audience size.
Year-on-year, India Times was the fastest-growing of the top ten news sites, with a 67% increase in visits compared to May 2023. The New York Times (up 19%), Yahoo Finance (248.2 million, up 10%), The Guardian (368.2 million, up 5%), and the BBC (up 4%) also saw growth.
Among the wider top 50, AP News registered the biggest month-on-month growth (up 20% to 115 million visits). UK brands Sky News (up 14%) and The Daily Express (up 11%) also saw strong increases.
Year-on-year, Newsweek experienced the fastest growth, with visits up 170% compared to May 2023, reaching 107.4 million visits. Al Jazeera (63.9 million, up 55%), AP News (up 48%), and People (205.2 million, up 39%) followed closely behind.
April 2024
In April 2024, India Times saw the largest year-on-year growth, with visits increasing by 87% to 287.6 million, largely driven by India’s elections. Yahoo Finance (243.9 million, up 20%), The New York Times (657 million, up 15%), and The Guardian (366.5 million, up 10%) also registered significant year-on-year growth.
The rest of the top ten news sites, however, experienced declines in traffic. Fox News saw the sharpest drop, down 14% to 269.3 million visits, while the BBC experienced a 5% year-on-year decline, with 1 billion visits.
Month-on-month, India Times was again the fastest-growing site, up 8% compared to March, followed by The Guardian (up 5%), CNN (558.2 million visits, up 3%), and the BBC (up 2%).
Among the wider top 50, Livemint saw the largest year-on-year surge in traffic, up 139% to 83.7 million visits, likely due to heightened interest in financial news. Newsweek also saw impressive growth (up 132% to 103.4 million), maintaining its strong performance across global rankings.
In terms of month-on-month growth, Indian Express (up 36% to 156.8 million) led the pack, followed by Al Jazeera (up 28%) and CBS News (up 24%). The BBC also saw growth, crossing the 1 billion visit threshold again in April.
The top five global news sites remained unchanged from March: the BBC, MSN (678.8 million visits), The New York Times, CNN, and Google News (370.9 million). The Guardian rounded out the top six, remaining the best-ranked UK news site after the BBC.
March 2024
In March 2024, Newsweek saw the most significant growth among global news websites, with a remarkable 128% year-on-year increase in visits, reaching 104.1 million. This surge is part of a broader trend of strong growth for Newsweek, which has also led the way in the US top 50 rankings. The brand’s new executive editor, Jennifer H. Cunningham, is working to expand its audience and improve its journalism.
Livemint (up 100% year-on-year to 82.4 million visits), India Times (up 60% to 265.4 million), and Hindustan Times (up 45% to 170 million) also saw strong growth, likely driven by the upcoming national elections in India.
On a month-to-month basis, India.com led with a 44% increase, followed by The Express (up 17%) and The Independent (up 12%).
Among the ten largest news websites globally, India Times saw the biggest year-on-year growth, with The New York Times (666 million visits, up 11%) and Yahoo Finance (245.9 million, up 5%) following closely behind. Fox News and MSN experienced significant year-on-year declines.
Month-on-month, India Times had the largest increase, with New York Times (up 10%) and CNN (up 9%) also growing. The BBC remained the most visited site globally, although it remained below the one-billion-visit threshold for the second consecutive month.
February 2024
India Times was the fastest-growing top-ten news site in February 2024, with a 48% year-on-year increase in visits, likely fueled by increased interest due to India’s upcoming general election. Yahoo Finance (up 18%) and The New York Times (up 10%) also saw growth.
The Guardian experienced a modest 2% gain, while several other top-ten sites, including MSN (down 14%) and Fox News (down 16%), saw significant year-on-year declines.
Month-to-month, the traffic of all the top ten sites, except India Times, saw decreases compared to January. Fox News and The Daily Mail experienced the largest drops, with a 16% decline for Fox News and a 10% decline for The Daily Mail.
Newsweek continued its strong performance, seeing a 114% year-on-year increase, followed by Livemint (up 90%) and Al Jazeera (up 55%).
In terms of month-on-month growth, Newsweek was overtaken by Indian Express (up 9%), while GB News (up 4%) made its debut in the global top 50.
The BBC retained its position as the most-visited news website globally, although it remained below 1 billion visits for the second consecutive month.
January 2024
CNN saw the largest month-on-month growth among the top ten news websites in January 2024, with a 7% increase, reaching 537.2 million visits. This reversed its decline from December, where it had been the only top-ten site to experience a decrease. The Guardian (up 7%) and MSN (up 5%) also saw growth in visits.
Year-on-year, all top-ten sites experienced declines, with MSN and Fox News seeing the sharpest drops of 23% and 16%, respectively. The Guardian, New York Times, and Yahoo Finance had smaller declines of less than 1%.
For the wider top 50, Newsweek continued to be the fastest-growing site year-on-year, with a 83% increase in visits to 74.1 million. Livemint (up 76%) and Al Jazeera (up 56%) also saw strong growth.
Month-to-month, UK-based newsnow.co.uk saw a 40% growth, and GB News (up 21%) made its debut in the top 50. The BBC remained the most-visited site, crossing the 1 billion visit mark again, followed by MSN, New York Times, CNN, and Google News.
