Reuters digital news report 2013

REUTERS INSTITUTE DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2013
Digital News Report 2013
Essential data on the
future of news
20th June 2013

REUTERS INSTITUTE DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2013 2
• This study has been commissioned to understand how news is currently being
consumed globally with a particular focus on digital news consumption and devices
used to access the news.
• Core questions were asked in France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Japan, Brazil
and the US as well as the UK to a nationally representative audience to provide an
international comparison.
• This is a study for the Reuters Institute made possible with the assistance of the
following organisations and also academic partners from the Hans Bredow Institute,
Hamburg, Roskilde University, Denmark and the School of Journalism at the Paris
Institute of Political Science
Background and objectives

REUTERS INSTITUTE DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2013 3Source: Internet World Stats http://www.internetworldstats.com population estimate 2012
• The research was conducted online in January and early February 2013.
• The data was weighted to targets set on age and gender, region, newspaper readership and social grade to reflect
the total population. The sample is reflective of the population who have access to the internet.
• A comprehensive online questionnaire was designed with input from all stakeholders to capture all aspects of news
consumption.
*Please note that Brazil is representative of an urban population rather than a national population as such the internet
penetration is likely to be higher than stated above, which must be taken into consideration when interpreting results.
Country
Starting
sample
Non-news
users
Final
sample
Total
population
Internet
penetration
UK 2308 9% 2078 63,047,162 84%
Germany 1099 3% 1062 81,305,856 83%
Spain 1016 4% 979 47,042,984 67%
Italy 1003 4% 965 61,261,254 58%
France 1016 4% 973 65,630,692 80%
Denmark 1024 2% 1007 5,543,453 90%
US 2170 7% 2028 313,847,465 78%
Brazil* 1003 2% 985 193,946,886 46%
Japan 1004 2% 978 127,368,088 80%
Methodology

 Striking growth of tablet (and mobile) usage for news
 Traditional media use remains strong – but younger half of the
population prefer online
 More people paying for news – albeit from a low base
 The enduring role of brands and the importance of trust
 Growing role of social media in news discovery
Key findings

AGE OF MULTIPLATFORM

13% 11%
8%
6% 5%
25%
16% 16%
11% 10%
Denmark US UK France Germany
Tablet usage for news
2012 2013
Q8a/Q8b Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973)
Denmark (n=1007) Urban Brazil (n=985)
** These figures are not totally comparable because we routed the questions slightly differently last year and the list of
devices was more detailed this year. They are however consistent with log files of news organisations that show a sizeable
increase in traffic from tablets
News usage on a tablet has increased significantly over the past ten months**
Growth news access via tablet

Q8b Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973) Denmark (n=1007)
Urban Brazil (n=985)
NOTE: Please note data has been rebased to account for the total sample size but is not an accurate indication of ownership levels and will not be
wholly comparable with last year.
Computers are the most prevalent device for accessing news across countries. Smartphones and
tablets are also now significantly used for news. Denmark has the highest level of smartphone and
tablet access.
Devices used to access news online by country
UK Germany Spain Italy France Denmark US Urban Brazil Japan
Computer
67% 71% 56% 58% 50% 58% 71% 81% 68%
Smartphone
29% 22% 35% 25% 24% 43% 28% 23% 19%
Tablet
16% 10% 13% 14% 11% 25% 16% 14% 6%
E-book Reader
2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4% 1%
Smart TV
3% 5% 10% 10% 9% 7% 4% 12% 4%

Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973) Denmark (n=1007)
Urban Brazil (n=985)
NOTE: Please note data has been rebased to account for the total sample size but is not an accurate indication of ownership levels and will not be
wholly comparable with last year.
Computers are the most prevalent device for accessing news across countries. Smartphones and tablets are
also now significantly used for news. Denmark has the highest level of smartphone and tablet access.
Devices used to access news online by country
Computer
67% 71% 56% 58% 50% 58% 71% 81% 68%
Smartphone
29% 22% 35% 25% 24% 43% 28% 23% 19%
Tablet
16% 10% 13% 14% 11% 25% 16% 14% 6%
E-book Reader
2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4% 1%
Smart TV
3% 5% 10% 10% 9% 7% 4% 12% 4%

Multiplatform access is becoming mainstream
Base: All markets (n=11004)

Smartphones are still more popular with younger age groups. Tablets are used equally
through age groups but with a significant bulge with the 35-44 group. 75% of tablet users
are ABC1 (same as last year). Smartphone news users skew heavily male
Smartphone and tablet news user demographics
78%
51%
16%
68%
53%
16%
70%
41%
24%
75%
25%
17%
70%
13% 16%
Computer Smartphone Tablet
Computer, smartphone and tablet by age
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Q8a /Q8b Which, if any, of the following devices do you ever use for any purpose? /Which, if any, of the following
devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: UK (n=2078)

Frequency of access grows with devices
Device Several times a day
ALL News users 56%
Computer users 65%
Smartphone users 76%
Tablet users 77%
All three 89%
Device Several times a day
ALL News users 76%
Computer users 79%
Smartphone users 83%
Tablet users 84%
All three 93%
Tablet and smartphones are extending the range of access points and increasing the frequency with which
people access news. The more devices, the more you consume ….

79%
19%
62%
42%
Quick news updates In depth news
Mobile Tablet
Mobiles are used most for quick updates during the day.
Consumers agree that tablets offer more in depth news and better experience for accessing news.
UK7a/b You’ve told us that you read news on a MOBILE/TABLET. With that in mind, please could you tell us how much you agree or
disagree with the following statements:
Base US : Read news on a mobile (n=583); Read news on a tablet (n=329) % net agree
Smartphones and tablets - differences

The laptop or desktop remains the most used for news overall but those who have Apple tablets are MOST
likely to use the device for news. Apple devices are used more for news than others manufacturers
Tablet and smartphone market share
OS UK US Spain Den
Apple 46% 45% 23% 48%
Other (Android,
RIM)
54% 55% 77% 52%
OS UK US Spain Den
Apple 65% 58% 43% 82%
Other (Android, RIM) 35% 42% 57% 18%
Q8a/Q8b Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Operating system market share by (selected) country
TabletSmartphone

Tablet and smartphone news users are generally in higher education and income brackets, which may explain
the greater interest in news. In the UK and the US the biggest correlation between income and news usage is
for smartphones for the richest group
Device demographics
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Less than $35,000 $35-$60,000 Over $60,000
Device use by household income (United States)
COMPUTER SMARTPHONE TABLET
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Less than £25,000 £25-£50,000 £50-£100,000
Device use by household income (United Kingdom)
COMPUTER SMARTPHONE TABLET
In the US, the richest one third of our sample) – earning over
$60,000 account for 60% of smartphone news usage, 53% of
tablet news usage and 40% of computer news usage
Q8b Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service?
Base: UK Computer (n=1394), Smartphone (n=612), Tablet (n=340) Household income 0-25K (n=585), £25-£50K (n=560), £50-£100K (n=245)
US Computer (n=1515) Smartphone (n=594), Tablet (n=337) Household income 0-$35K (n=579), $35-$60K (n=426), $60K+ (n=598)

Tablet and smartphones are in general not replacing other ways of consuming news.
Instead they are extending the range of access points and increasing the frequency with
which people access news
Digital users ALSO consume via traditional platforms
Q3: Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news?
Base: All markets (n=11004) Tablet users (n=2726)

THE PLATFORM DIVIDE

Platform choices by country – frequency of access
TV 79% 82% 72% 74% 84% 85% 72% 75% 69%
Radio 37% 51% 39% 34% 44% 53% 28% 19% 24%
Print 59% 63% 61% 59% 46% 49% 47% 50% 63%
Online 74% 66% 79% 80% 68% 81% 75% 90% 85%

TV 41% 43% 33% 39% 57% 44% 43% 38% 35%
Radio 7% 13% 9% 5% 12% 8% 5% 2% 4%
Print 15% 18% 15% 13% 6% 11% 9% 6% 20%
Online 35% 25% 41% 42% 23% 35% 39% 53% 39%
Platform choices by country – MAIN or PREFERRED source of news

Q4: You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base:
All who have used news sources in the last week (n=10843 )
Looking at our TOTAL sample, we can see that 18-34s have a clear preference for internet news. The over 45s
have a clear preference for TV. 35s to 44s are pretty much split
56%
28%
55%
28%
42%
38%
32%
47%
21%
55%
Online TV
MAIN source of news by age (ALL countries)
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Young prefer online, older groups prefer television news

(UK=2078)
In our UK sample of Internet users we can see a clear platform preference divide. For under 45’s – almost half
the adult population - the Internet is now the MAIN source of news as well as their most frequently accessed.
For over 45’s it remains TV with other traditional sources remaining important.
52%
24%
49%
28%
18%
53%
12%
57%
Online TV
MAIN source of news by age
18-24 25-44 45-54 55+
Divided nation (UK): Young prefer online, old prefer television news

All who have used news sources in the last week France (n=963), US (n=1916)
31%
52%
36%
52%
24%
53%
23%
56%
13%
64%
Online TV
France
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Only France shows a different pattern
64%
20%
61%
23%
41% 41%
35%
49%
25%
54%
Online TV
United States
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+

Older age groups spent more time accessing news via traditional means such as TV, radio or print while
younger age groups spent more time accessing news via a computer or mobile.
We see a more varied pattern across age groups for tablets, e-readers and Smart TVs, which may be linked to
the price point; older age groups are more likely to be able to afford these newer devices than their younger
counterparts.
Time spent per day accessing news by age:
UK1_1 .On a typical day, how much time do you spend accessing news on EACH of the following??
Base All UK=2078
Chart shows mean time spent per day in minutes
25
19 18
32
22
28
20 19
25
20 18
29
22 21
17
21
32
23
20
29
20 18 16
21
37
27
24 26
15
23
21 19
45
31 30
25
12
17
25
16
TV Radio Printed
Publication
Computer Mobile Phone Tablet E-reader Smart TV
Mean time spent accessing news on device per day (minutes)
18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 +
Traditional forms of accessing news
are more popular among older age

WHERE AND WHEN PEOPLE
ACCESS THE NEWS

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
First thing in the
morning
Later in the
morning
Lunchtime Afternoon Early evening Late evening Last thing at night
When do you typically access the news? (by age)
All 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
UK2 When do you typically access the news?
Base: UK=2078 18 to 24 (n=269) 25 to 34: (n=286) 35 to 44: (n=321) 45 to 54 (n=383) 55+ (n=819)
Typically consumers access news first thing in the morning or early evening.
Younger people tend to access in a more even way throughout the day. Older people follow the
breakfast, lunch and early evening (42%) peaks far more compared with the young (21%).
When do you access news? (Age)

QS2: When do you typically access the news?
When do you access news? (Platform segment)

UK3A. Where were you when you looked at/listened to the news over the last few days?
Base: UK=2078, Denmark =994
While home is the most popular location for accessing news, younger people are accessing more news when
out and about.
Where do you access news?
68%
46%
24%
20%
13%
9%
4%
3%
71%
41%
31%
28%
9%
6%
5%
6%
At home: communal
At home: personal
At work
Commuting personal eg car
Commuting on public transport
Out and about generally
Other people’s homes
At a place of study
Where news is accessed?
UK Denmark

UK3B: Please mention the key news media you used in these locations
Base: At home : communal (n=1421) At home: personal (n=957) At work (n=482) At place of study (n=70) While travelling via
While at home, TV is used to access news in communal areas but in personal areas the internet via a computer
tends to be used as often. The computer dominates the office, radio is default media choice in the car and the
mobile phone has overtaken print on public transport.
Platforms for news used at different locations
83%
48%
7%
5%
1%
31% 31%
18%
24%
84%
32%
20%
14%
34%
6%
36%
46%
71%
4%
2%
13%
22%
19%
48%
13%
9%
11%
3%
6%
1%
At home: communal space At home: personal space At work: office, shop etc Commuting via public
transport
Commuting via car
(personal)
News sources used by location (UK)
Television Radio Printed publication Internet via computer Internet via mobile Internet via tablet

UK3B: Please mention the key news media you used in these locations
Base:) While travelling via public transport (n=270) 18-44 (n=111)
On UK public transport 48% use mobile phones, 34% use print and 6% access news via a tablet - though print
is still ahead in London (56%) because of availability of strong free newspapers and limited Internet access on
the underground.
Accessing news via public transport
34%
23% 25%
48%
38%
23%
6%
ALL 18-44 45+
PRINT MOBILE Tablet
Tablet reading on the move for news is
growing but the smartphone is still much more
popular. Portability trumps screen size

PAYING FOR NEWS

Paying for news?
But only

Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n=2028)) Japan (n=978) Germany (n=1062) France (n=973) Denmark (n=1007)
Newspaper purchase by country

Type of newspaper purchase (ad hoc vs subscription and home delivery)

Q7. Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973)
Denmark (n=1007) Urban Brazil (n=985)
Percentages that said yes in the last week, month or year
Paying for digital news is showing signs of growth– but from a low base
More people are paying for digital news
12%
9%
4%
8%
6%
10%
12%
9%
13%
10%
Denmark US UK France Germany
Have you paid for digital news in the past year?
2012 2013

Q7 Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service?
Base: All markets (UK=2078; US=2024; Spain=1016; Japan=1013; Italy=1003; Germany=1009; France=1016; Denmark=1024; Urban Brazil=1003)
The majority of countries have never paid for digital news content.
The late adopters of online services such as Urban Brazil appear more willing to pay for digital content as they
have not had the same legacy of free services as in more mature markets.
Paid for digital
9% 11%
16%
21%
13% 10% 12%
24%
14%
90% 88% 82% 76%
85% 87% 85%
73%
84%
1% 2% 2% 3% 2% 3% 3% 3% 2%
Net: Yes No, I’ve never paid for digital news content Don’t know
In the UK, 11% of those who are
interested in the news would consider
paying for a digital news service

Q7a You said you have accessed paid for digital news content in the last year… Which, if any, of the following types of payment have you used to
pay for digital news content in the last year?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973) Denmark (n=1007) Urban Brazil (n=985)
Consumers in Denmark and the US are more willing to enter into longer term commitment with news brands by
making on-going payments while consumers in France, Italy, Germany and Spain are more likely to make a
one-off payment.
Type of payment made to access digital content
64%
58% 58%
52% 50%
47%
40%
32% 33%
28%
37% 37% 35%
46%
40% 42%
60%
63%
16%
22%
12%
21%
16%
24%
21%
17%
22%
France Italy Germany Spain Japan Urban Brazil UK US Denmark
Types of payment
Net: One-off payment Net: Subscription Other

€30 €
Paid for digital content

Q7: Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service?
Paid for digital content
ALL COUNTRIES

Q7 Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service Base: (US=2124) Tablet and
Smartphone users US (n=187)
Those using tablets AND smartphones are four times more likely to pay for digital news – not surprising given
the range of digital subscriptions and apps available.. Much of this is driven by the Apple eco-system
Smartphone and tablets encourage payment
12%
3%
4%
29%
4%
16%
Ever
Last month
Last week
Percent paying for news…
Tablet+Smartphone All

Impact of device on digital payment …
Apple iPad Other tablet iPhone
Other
smartphone
Paid for digital
news in last year
+147% +75% +77% +54%
Q7: Have you paid for DIGITAL news content, or accessed a paid for digital news service?
Base: (US=2028)
% difference compared with general digital users after controlling for gender, age, education level, income and interest in news
Even after controlling for factors such as age, income, education and interest in news, tablet users are on
average twice as likely to pay for news and smartphone owners are also significantly more likely to pay.
Apple devices in particular are helping the news industry monetise content
.

FINDING NEWS

Ways of FINDING news by country (chose top five methods)
Directly via a
branded site
34% 32% 38% 35% 16% 55% 20% 47% 28%
General
search engine
like Google
24% 40% 40% 49% 45% 30% 33% 44% 39%
Sites that
aggregate
news links
17% 16% 17% 16% 12% 7% 26% 37% 43%
Newsreader
‘app’ eg
Flipboard
3% 3% 11% 4% 3% 4% 6% 7% 3%
Social network
- eg Facebook
17% 15% 45% 38% 14% 22% 30% 60% 12%
Q10 Thinking about how you FIND news online, which are the main ways that you come across news stories?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973) Denmark
(n=1007) Urban Brazil (n=985)

Ways of FINDING news by country (chose top five methods)
Q10 Thinking about how you FIND news online, which are the main ways that you come across news stories?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n==2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n==973) Denmark
Directly via a
branded site
34% 32% 38% 35% 16% 55% 20% 47% 28%
General
search engine
like Google
24% 40% 40% 49% 45% 30% 33% 44% 39%
Sites that
aggregate
news links
17% 16% 17% 16% 12% 7% 26% 37% 43%
Newsreader
‘app’ eg
Flipboard
3% 3% 11% 4% 3% 4% 6% 7% 3%
Social network
- eg Facebook
17% 15% 45% 38% 14% 22% 30% 60% 12%

Q5: Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: Online users in each market (UK=1534 ; US=1470; Germany=698 ; France=658 Denmark=816 ; Urban Brazil=892; Italy = 775; Spain=776; Japan = 831)
Finding news – the role of brand
34%
16%
24%
45%
17%
14%
UK France
Brand Search Social
Brand is the primary gateway to news in the UK, followed by search and social
but ….

Finding news – the role of brand
34%
16%
24%
45%
17%
14%
UK France
Brand Search Social
Brand is the primary gateway to news in the UK, followed by search and social
but in France, Germany and Italy it is search
Search as gateway
%

Social media is becoming a mainstream way of finding news
Q10 : Thinking about how you FIND news online, which are the main ways that you come across news stories?
Base: UK (n=2078)
Social media is now a primary gateway to news for under 45s in many countries.
More important than search and brand

Q10 : Thinking about how you FIND news online, which are the main ways that you come across news stories?
Social vs search by age
44%
33%
36%
34%
29%
36%
23%
38%
19%
38%
Social Search
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Under 35s are more likely to find news via social media than via search. Older groups are more likely
to search.

TYPES OF ONLINE NEWS

Types of news by country
Lists,
articles and
blogs
52% 58% 63% 71% 46% 58% 64% 66% 67%
Video and
audio
47% 43% 52% 48% 48% 39% 55% 64% 35%
Live pages 11% 8% 16% 16% 19% 8% 11% 15% 35%
Pictures and
graphics
15% 24% 21% 23% 15% 16% 23% 32% 27%
Apps 19% 13% 24% 17% 17% 25% 19% 20% 13%
Other 1% 0% 2% 1% 2% 1% 2% 3% 0%
None of these 15% 17% 7% 6% 14% 13% 4% 4% 8%
Q11: Thinking of the way you looked at news online in the last week, which of the following ways of consuming news did you use?

Q11: Thinking of the way you looked at news online in the last week, which of the following ways of consuming news did
you use?
Smartphones and tablets encourage video consumption

Q11: Thinking of the way you looked at news online in the last week, which of the following ways of consuming news
did you use?
Using live pages

QS14a/14b: You said that you use LIVE news page (short updates in chronological order) Thinking about this, please select the statements that
apply to you.
Base: UK (n=2078) Use live pages (n=237) US (n=2028) Use live pages (n=213)
Use of live news pages

Using live pages

BRAND AND TRUST

The enduring power of traditional brands ….
87% 85%
81% 80%
74% 74% 74%
71%
65%
32%
22%
32%
48% 47%
56%
38%
31%
78%
31%
41%
44%
57%
44% 43%
30%
43%
30%
UK Denmark Spain Urban Brazil Italy US France Germany Japan
Traditional news brand Aggregators Social Media&Blogs
The UK has the strongest traditional news brands of our surveyed countries. Aggregators/pure
players have made the most impact in Japan

:
UK market share: Online vs Offline

US market share: Online vs Offline

France market share: Online vs Offline

:
Germany market share: Online vs Offline

Q9a Thinking about the types of sites, mobile sites or apps where you get news online, in broad terms how trustworthy do you
find the news content of the following?
Base: UK=2078 % saying very or extremely trust worthy
Mainstream media is considered the most trustworthy source of news.
Blogs and social media sites are considered the least trustworthy.
Trust in different sources of news
79%
60%
21%
11%
8%
10%
Sites from UK broadcasters
Sites from UK newspapers
Ex UK news providers
News related blogs
Facebook
Twitter

Q5c: Thinking about the different kinds of news available to you, do you prefer? (choice of statements)
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n=2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n=973) Denmark
% agree
Attitudes to partial and impartial news

Attitudes to partial and impartial news
Q5c: Thinking about the different kinds of news available to you, do you prefer? (three options)
Base: All markets (n=11004) % agree Respondent quotes from UK

UK12A-B thinking specifically about when you look for news on a MOBILE/TABLET, which of the following statements most
applies to you?
Base: 612 All who have accessed news via a smartphone in the last week; 340 All who have accessed news via a tablet in the last week
Branded icon on the home screen is the main way of accessing news – not an aggregator.
50%
25%
15%
48%
26%
17%
I mainly access news directly via a branded
link (logo) of a news provider
I mainly access news via a search
engine, social network or other brand that
aggregates news
I access news using both methods about the
same
Smartphone Tablet
Younger age groups are
more comfortable
accessing news via
search engines than
their older counterparts
(28% of 18-24 vs. 16%
of over 55s).
The role of brand on mobile

Q8c : You say you access news via a Computer,/mobile, tablet. When using that device which of the following news
sources have you used in the last week ?
BRAND COMPUTER SMARTPHONE GAIN/LOSS TABLET
Sky News (UK) 15% 25% +10% 21%
CNN (US) 16% 19% +3% 16%
TF1 (FR) 10% 16% +6% 14%
Yahoo (US) 37% 25% -12% 27%
Yahoo (UK) 20% 8% -12% 9%
MSN (US) 14% 10% -4% 10%
Some brands do better on smartphones
Brands that have a reputation for breaking news do better on smartphones. Aggregator brands than
have grown up with advantages of browser tie-ins are losing out in the US and UK

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARTICIPATION

Ways of participating in the news
Q13: During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage?
Base: All markets UK (n=2078) US (n=2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n=973) Denmark (n=1007) Urban Brazil
(n=985)

Base: UK (n=2078) US (n=2028) Spain (n=979) Japan (n=978) Italy (n=965) Germany (n=1062) France (n=973) Denmark (n=1007) Urban Brazil (n=985)
Percent commenting on a news story via social network each week
38%
27% 26%
21%
11% 10% 10%
8% 7%
Brazil Spain Italy US Denmark UK France Germany Japan
Brazilians and Spanish are far more likely to comment on a news story than the Germans or Japanese. The
Americans are more than twice as likely to comment as the British
Brazilians 5x more
likely to comment on
news than Germans
or Japanese

QS8b/8c Thinking about how you share news, in the last week have you passed on a link to an online
news story, video etc. via email, social networking or other means?/Through which of the following
means?
Base: UK=2078; Share news (n=377)
Sharing news (UK)
Shared news via….

Model of news participation (conceptual map of segments)

16%
PROACTIVE
14%
REACTIVE
New model of online news participation
40% participate every week online and 63% take part in news online or offline.
Intense participators (10% of our sample) do most of the sharing of news, most of the commenting.
Base: UK (n=2078)

Intense Easy Proactive Easy Reactors Offline Heavy
Offline
Occasional
Passive
18-24 17% 17% 13% 10% 9% 9%
25 to 34 35% 20% 19% 20% 11% 13%
35 to 44 18% 18% 15% 20% 15% 17%
45 to 54 17% 19% 18% 26% 20% 17%
55 + 13% 26% 35% 25% 45% 42%
Male 61% 53% 48% 41% 37% 49%
Female 39% 47% 52% 59% 63% 51%
News participation segments by age
Base: UK (n=2078) Intense (n=182) Easy Proactive (n=284) Easy Reactors (n=327) Offline(n=494) Passive (n=791) Offline Heavy (n=125) Offline Occasional
(n=369)
The passive and occasional group group is primarily 55+ . Age plays a significant factor with digital natives
more comfortable with a variety of participatory techniques

Intense Easy Proactive Easy Reactors Offline Heavy
Offline
Occasional
Passive
18-24 17% 17% 13% 10% 9% 9%
25 to 34 35% 20% 19% 20% 11% 13%
35 to 44 18% 18% 15% 20% 15% 17%
45 to 54 17% 19% 18% 26% 20% 17%
55 + 13% 26% 35% 25% 45% 42%
Male 61% 53% 48% 41% 37% 49%
Female 39% 47% 52% 59% 63% 51%
News participation segments by age
Base: UK (n=2078) Intense (n=182) Easy Proactive (n=284) Easy Reactors (n=327) Offline(n=494) Passive (n=791) Offline Heavy (n=125) Offline Occasional
(n=369)
Intense participators (10% of our sample) are valuable to news organisations as they help spread news in the
networks. They tend to be male with a high proportion of 25-34s

Q8a Which, if any, of the following devices do you ever use for any purpose?/Which, if any, of the following
Base: UK=2078
10% of consumers have used a Smart TV but less than half of them (4%) have used a Smart TV to access
news.
Across demographics, men and younger age groups are more likely to have used a Smart TV.
Smart TV usage - UK
85%
50%
28%
10%
18%
8% 8%
1%
72%
31%
17%
4% 2% 2% 1%
15%
Smart TV usage
Devices ever used Devices used to access news in the last week
None of these
Male Female 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
% use Smart TV 12% 8% 7% 15% 10% 9% 9%
% use Smart TV
to access news
5% 2% 2% 5% 3% 3% 4%

Q8a Which, if any, of the following devices do you ever use for any purpose?/Which, if any, of the following
Base: All FR=972 and any that use these devices = 883 for news access
14% of consumers have used a connected TV and 72 % of them say they have used a connected TV to access
news –the highest of all our surveyed countries. Usage is more evenly spread between men, women and
different age groups than in the UK
Smart TV usage - France
65%
41%
19%
14%
3% 4%
13% 13%
62%
29%
14% 11%
1% 1% 1%
12%
Smart TV usage
Devices ever used Devices used to access news in the last week
None of these
Male Female 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
% use Smart TV 13% 14% 8% 15% 15% 14% 14%
% use Smart TV
to access news
11% 12% 10% 9% 10% 12% 13%

64%
57%
52%
46%
Wants to be in control Familiar face presenter
Interest in news content on a television screen
France UK
UK/FR15 Thinking about the possibility of accessing internet news services via your television, how interested would you be in
the following types of news Base: Base: FR= 972, UK=2078.
Users agreed that they wanted to have more control of news content on their TV screen – like on a PC. In the
UK this was more the case for the young - but not in France where older groups wanted control.
The desire to have an anchor or personality fronting on demand news on TV was much more valued by older
people in both countries. Of those who use connected TV’s for news in France, 75% say they strongly or
somewhat agree they want to be in control
Future on demand news via television screen?
18-24 25-44 45+ 65+
FRANCE 54% 53% 60% 60%
UK 47% 48% 53% 51%
18-24 25-44 45+ 65+
FRANCE 59% 60% 68% 68%
UK 46% 50% 44% 41%

64%
57%
52%
46%
Wants to be in control Familiar face presenter
France UK
UK/FR16 ‘When thinking about getting internet news via your televisions to what extent do you agree or disagree with the
following statements? On a television, I want to be in control of my news experience just as I can on a computer’ AND On a
television, I prefer news items to be introduced by a familiar face (news presenter) rather than just a text headline Base: FR=
972, UK=2078.
Users agreed that they wanted to have more control of news content on their TV screen – like on a PC. In the
UK this was more the case for the young - but not in France where older groups wanted control.
The desire to have an anchor or personality fronting on demand news on TV was much more valued by older
people in both countries. Of those who use connected TV’s for news in France, 75% say they strongly or
somewhat agree they want to be in control

Providing news (or sport) alerts to the screen held the most appeal to our general sample. Almost one in three
said they would be very interested in this functionality (64% very and somewhat interested). Sports news (text
and video clips) was popular with men but of very little interest to women. News lovers – those with a high
interest and frequency of access (20% of the sample) - were much more likely to show interest in all the
categories
64%
50% 51% 54%
42% 42%
31% 31%
52% 48%
54%
34% 33% 37%
26% 29%
23%
28%
41%
46%
News alert to screenTicker news and sportNews text News video clipsNews pictures Infographic Sport text Sport Video clipsWeather text Weather map
France UK
Male Female 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
FRANCE 42% 21% 27% 29% 41% 35% 26%
UK 34% 14% 26% 31% 29% 24% 16%

Providing news (or sport) alerts to the screen held the most appeal to our general sample. Almost one in three
said they would be very interested in this functionality (64% very and somewhat interested). Sports news (text
and video clips) was popular with men but of very little interest to women. News lovers – those with a high
interest and frequency of access (20% of the sample) - were much more likely to show interest in all the
categories
64%
55% 53% 51% 50% 48%
43% 42%
31% 31%
56%
37%
41%
33% 34%
46%
26%
29%
23%
28%
News alert to
screen
News video
clips
Weather text News text Ticker news
and sport
Weather map News
pictures
Infographic Sport text Sport Video
clips
France UK

Segmentation of the UK by types of user
Indicative base of 50m UK adults, 84% internet access and 9% of them not accessing news (not interested) in the last
month

These segments were cross-checked this with claimed time spent (where data was available in the UK) to ensure this approach was robust.
Segmentation by type of user

 Polarisation of audience behaviour + Traditional media consumption still
strong but digital natives hitting their stride
 For most people digital media represents an additional layer extending
the range of choices and locations.
 More people are paying for news and say they may be willing to pay in
the future
 Even in a world of greater competition, quality and trust still matters for
young and old
Implications and recap

More information at
Web: digitalnewsreport.org
Email: reuters.institute@politics.ox.ac.uk

Reuters digital news report 2013

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Reuters digital news report 2013

Similar to Reuters digital news report 2013 (20)

Reuters digital news report 2013

Editor's Notes