Need more evidence that the Web is a growth area for TV news? A new study says one in four American adults visits a local station site every month, and many of the most frequent users are not heavy TV viewers.
“Television understands the power of the multi-media platform and stations have been putting renewed effort into their websites and it is paying off,” said Media Audit president Bob Jordan.
Across the nation 73% of adults are going online. With 27% going to local TV websites, this means that nearly 40% of internet users are visiting their local TV websites. This is a strong testament to the appeal of the local TV websites.”
The numbers are up from a year ago, when the top station site drew 46.1 percent of adults in the market. This year, the top ranked station drew 49.7 percent. Lower-ranked stations showed even more growth. Last year, the 9th ranked station drew 23.8 percent of adults, compared to 37.1 percent this year.
“There are 6 markets–Raleigh, Tulsa, Denver, Columbia, Little Rock and Madison –where over half the adult online population is going to a local TV website, ” Jordan said. He expects the number of markets on that list to double over the next year.
