INSIGHTS: Digital Reporting on the Rise

CNBC’s digital operation (which includes CNBC.com and other online assets) has recorded March 2014 as its second-best month ever. According to the CNBC.com comScore report, CNBC.com garnered:

+ 13.1 million unique visitors in March, the second highest month ever, up 30% compared to last year at this time; this number includes visitors from tablets and mobile applications in addition to desktop and laptop visitors, making it a true multi-platform statistic.

+Total unique video viewers totaling 3.2 million in March, up 92% year-over-year and the site’s highest volume ever.

Note: Unique visitors reflect the number of individuals who have accessed a website, regardless of how often they visit the site.

When it comes to media, the lines between “digital” and “media” continue to blur and blend.

In The Growth in Digital Reporting, prepared by the Pew Research Journalism Project, the shifting journalism tides are explained as:

“…many see the rise of digital newsrooms as a significant moment in a transforming media landscape. Not long ago, BuzzFeed content was viewed by some as frivolous click bait. But in a recent speech to Kansas University journalism students, former Wall Street Journal managing editor Paul Steiger mentioned BuzzFeed as “the kind of team I’d want to join,” if he were embarking on a journalism career. Many mainstream journalists may not have even heard of Vox Media before [Ezra] Klein’s Project X alighted there. But when news surfaced last month about 500 across-the-board job cuts at the Time Inc. magazine empire, Slate’s Dave Weigel tweeted, perhaps only half-jokingly: “500 more applications for Vox.”

HighTower, RBC Wealth Management and many other JCPR clients appear regularly on CNBC.com, HuffPost Live  and other digital-only mediums. Here are some insights from our team on the heels of these impressive CNBC.com digital media statistics.

“How far the NBC peacock has spread his wings! I’ve been keeping my eye on CNNx, the latest move towards maximizing second screen viewers related to hard news.”

– Andrea Trachtenberg, Managing Director
 

“The CNBC data continues to back up the critical nature of video in general—video is increasingly the medium of choice for today’s wired world.”

– Steven Stoke, Managing Director, JCIP
 

“Yahoo reported in 2013 that 4 in 5 tablet users use their tablets daily and 90% of users watch video content. The hand-held media experience is not going away.”

– Melinda Brodbeck, Vice President
 

“With many of the larger digital news outlets investing in global coverage, international news coverage for our clients will be more accessible.”

– Megan Snyder, Associate Vice President