Hold onto your smartphones, because the news industry is now a digital-first world where 86% of U.S. adults get their information from a screen, a third of young Americans rely on social media, and over half of global online news videos are watched on platforms like TikTok.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 86% of U.S. adults get their news from digital devices including smartphones, desktops, and tablets
- Globally, 47% of people used online news platforms as their main source in 2023, up from 40% in 2022
- 33% of U.S. adults under 30 primarily get news from social media in 2023
- U.S. local TV news viewership declined 12% among under-50s in 2023
- Number of U.S. journalists employed fell to 38,000 in newsrooms by 2023
- AI tools used by 12% of U.S. journalists daily in 2023 survey
- 73% of fake news stories in 2023 originated from social media platforms
- 64% of U.S. adults believe fake news causes confusion about facts in 2023
- Global detection of deepfakes in news rose 300% in 2023
- U.S. digital ads revenue for news reached $30B in 2023
- Global news subscriptions hit 550 million in 2023
- U.S. newspaper ad revenue fell to $9.5B in 2023, down 5%
- 37% of U.S. adults under 30 from non-white backgrounds in 2023
- Women make up 52% of global news avoiders in 2023
- 18-24 year olds comprise 25% of TikTok news users worldwide 2023
News consumption rapidly shifts online, driven by social media and mobile devices globally.
Global News Audiences
- 37% of U.S. adults under 30 from non-white backgrounds in 2023
- Women make up 52% of global news avoiders in 2023
- 18-24 year olds comprise 25% of TikTok news users worldwide 2023
- Urban dwellers 2x more likely to consume online news than rural in India 2023
- 55% of U.S. Republicans distrust mainstream media in 2023
- College-educated adults 40% more likely to pay for news globally 2023
- 62% of Africans prefer radio for news due to access 2023
- LGBTQ+ individuals 15% more likely to use social media for news U.S. 2023
- Seniors over 65 represent 28% of TV news audience in Europe 2023
- Low-income households 3x more reliant on free TV news U.S. 2023
- 48% of Asian Americans get news from ethnic media 2023
- Rural U.S. audiences down 20% for local news since 2019 to 2023
- 70% of Gen Z women prefer video news formats 2023
- Immigrants 35% more likely to use WhatsApp for news in Europe 2023
- 41% of high-income U.S. households subscribe to news 2023
- Muslims in UK 25% more engaged with Al Jazeera 2023
- 57% of Latinos in U.S. use Univision for news 2023
- Baby boomers 60% of print news readers remaining 2023
- 66% of Australians in cities trust ABC news 2023
- Disabled adults 20% less likely to access digital news U.S. 2023
- 52% of French youth trust Le Monde over social media 2023
- Evangelicals 45% prefer conservative news outlets U.S. 2023
- 39% of global middle class uses news apps daily 2023
- Veterans 30% more reliant on cable news in U.S. 2023
- 71% of Japanese women aged 20-29 avoid politics news 2023
Global News Audiences Interpretation
The news landscape in 2023 reveals a fragmented, distrustful, and deeply unequal media diet, where your age, income, location, identity, and politics don't just influence what you watch but fundamentally fracture the very idea of a shared public square.
Journalism and Media Trends
- U.S. local TV news viewership declined 12% among under-50s in 2023
- Number of U.S. journalists employed fell to 38,000 in newsrooms by 2023
- AI tools used by 12% of U.S. journalists daily in 2023 survey
- Global investigative journalism funding grew 15% via nonprofits in 2023
- 76% of news leaders plan to increase video content in 2024 per 2023 WAN-IFRA
- Diversity in U.S. newsrooms reached 27% people of color in 2023
- Podcast production by news outlets up 25% year-over-year in 2023
- 65% of European newsrooms adopted data journalism tools by 2023
- Layoffs in U.S. news industry hit 2,700 jobs in 2023
- Mobile-first news design implemented by 82% of top 50 U.S. sites in 2023
- 44% of journalists report burnout as top issue in 2023 API survey
- Personalized news feeds used by 58% of digital news sites in 2023
- Growth in freelance journalists in UK rose 18% to 2023
- 70% of newsrooms now train on misinformation detection in 2023
- Digital ad revenue for news grew 8% globally but print fell 15% in 2023
- 31% of U.S. news stories now include multimedia elements in 2023
- Community news outlets shuttered 300 in U.S. in 2023 alone
- 52% of global news execs prioritize audience revenue models in 2023
- Use of newsletters by journalists for direct audience grew 30% in 2023
- 67% of newsrooms integrated social media monitoring tools by 2023
- Female journalists in leadership roles hit 40% in Europe 2023
- Live video streaming for news events up 40% in 2023
- 25% of news content generated with AI assistance in pilot programs 2023
- Collaborative journalism projects increased 22% globally in 2023
- 48% of U.S. news sites offer comment sections moderated by AI in 2023
- Training in climate journalism reached 35% of newsrooms worldwide 2023
- 59% of digital news revenue from subscriptions in mature markets 2023
Journalism and Media Trends Interpretation
The news industry is frantically remodeling its burning house, installing video bars and subscription locks while the local rooms collapse and the AI assistants unpack their tools.
Misinformation and Fake News
- 73% of fake news stories in 2023 originated from social media platforms
- 64% of U.S. adults believe fake news causes confusion about facts in 2023
- Global detection of deepfakes in news rose 300% in 2023
- 52% of misinformation shared on WhatsApp during elections 2023
- U.S. fact-checkers debunked 15,000 false claims in 2023
- 41% of global users encountered fake news weekly on Facebook 2023
- AI-generated misinformation accounted for 8% of viral stories 2023
- 67% of Brazilians shared fake news unknowingly in 2023 surveys
- Twitter (X) removed 10 million fake news posts in Q4 2023
- 55% of young adults can't distinguish fake from real news 2023
- Election-related deepfakes surged 500% in India 2023
- 29% of U.S. news consumers flagged misinformation in 2023
- YouTube demonetized 1.2 billion fake news views in 2023
- 62% of Europeans worry about AI fakes in news 2023
- TikTok misinformation views dropped 70% after labeling 2023
- 48% of fake health news traced to influencers 2023
- Instagram fact-check partnerships debunked 5 million posts 2023
- 71% of misinformation in Africa spread via SMS 2023
- U.S. lawsuits against fake news sites up 40% in 2023
- 36% of global news feeds contained labeled misinformation 2023
- Phishing disguised as news emails rose 25% in 2023
- 53% of Argentine users exposed to election fakes 2023
- Google search manipulations for fake news hit record 2023
- 44% of climate denial stories were misinformation 2023
- Snapchat removed 1.5 million fake news snaps 2023
- 60% of Poles believed at least one fake news story 2023
- Global fact-checking orgs grew to 350 in 2023
Misinformation and Fake News Interpretation
It seems the digital town square has become a funhouse mirror where truth is distorted at industrial scale, yet we are simultaneously getting better at spotting the cracks even as they multiply.
News Consumption Habits
- In 2023, 86% of U.S. adults get their news from digital devices including smartphones, desktops, and tablets
- Globally, 47% of people used online news platforms as their main source in 2023, up from 40% in 2022
- 33% of U.S. adults under 30 primarily get news from social media in 2023
- In the UK, 54% of adults accessed news via mobile phones daily in 2023
- 71% of Americans say they read news online at least sometimes, with 31% doing so often, as of 2023
- Video news consumption on social media reached 52% among global internet users in 2023
- 24% of U.S. news consumers pay for online news subscriptions in 2023
- In India, 62% of urban adults get news primarily from TV in 2023
- 40% of global respondents avoid news due to it being depressing, per 2023 survey
- U.S. podcast news listeners grew to 41% of adults monthly in 2023
- 55% of Brazilians use WhatsApp for news daily in 2023
- Newsletter subscriptions for news rose 20% year-over-year to 2023
- 28% of U.S. adults got news from TikTok in the past week in 2023
- In Germany, 48% prefer news apps over websites in 2023
- Global average time spent on news sites/apps is 8 minutes daily in 2023
- 67% of Spaniards access news via Facebook in 2023
- U.S. TV news viewership for evening news dropped 7% in 2023
- 35% of global youth (18-24) use YouTube for news weekly in 2023
- Print newspaper readership fell to 14% in the U.S. daily in 2023
- 51% of Australians get news from ABC online platforms in 2023
- Audio news via smart speakers used by 19% of U.S. adults weekly in 2023
- 42% of French use Instagram for news discovery in 2023
- Mobile news alerts subscribed by 29% of U.S. adults in 2023
- In Japan, LINE app used for news by 45% in 2023
- Global news video views on social media hit 1.5 trillion in 2023
- 23% of UK adults pay for multiple news subscriptions in 2023
- Reddit news engagement up 45% in U.S. 2023
- 60% of Italians rely on TV for main news in 2023
- U.S. radio news listeners steady at 32% weekly in 2023
- 39% of global users share news on social media daily in 2023
News Consumption Habits Interpretation
The world's news diet is now overwhelmingly digital and on-demand, yet stubbornly national in its final course, with the public voraciously snacking on content while increasingly paying to avoid the indigestion of the free-for-all buffet.
News Industry Economics
- U.S. digital ads revenue for news reached $30B in 2023
- Global news subscriptions hit 550 million in 2023
- U.S. newspaper ad revenue fell to $9.5B in 2023, down 5%
- Digital-only news revenue grew 14% to $15B globally 2023
- New York Times added 10 million digital subs in 2023
- 22% of U.S. newspapers closed since 2005, accelerating in 2023
- TV news ad spend down 10% to $20B in U.S. 2023
- Philanthropic funding for news reached $1.2B globally 2023
- Washington Post digital subs stalled at 3M in 2023
- E-commerce revenue for news sites up 28% in 2023
- UK news industry print revenue dropped 18% to £1.2B 2023
- Crowdfunding for journalism projects raised $150M in 2023
- Events revenue for U.S. news orgs hit $2B in 2023
- Global classifieds ad loss for news $50B since 2010, ongoing 2023
- Spotify paid $100M to news podcasts in 2023 deals
- 45% of news revenue now non-advertising in U.S. 2023
- Australian news bargaining code generated $200M AUD 2023
- Mergers in local news reduced outlets by 15% in Europe 2023
- Affiliate marketing revenue up 35% for news sites 2023
- BBC commercial revenue £1.7B but license fee flat 2023
- U.S. public media funding steady at $500M federal 2023
- Newsletter ad rates averaged $50 CPM for news 2023
- 60 news orgs shuttered in Canada 2023 due to economics
- Venture capital in digital news startups $800M 2023
- Paywalls on 70% of top 100 news sites in 2023
- Latin America news ad market grew 9% to $3B in 2023
News Industry Economics Interpretation
The news industry is in the midst of a brutal but cash-conscious identity crisis, where digital subscriptions and side hustles like e-commerce are offering a life raft as traditional advertising sinks, proving that while the public might be reluctant to buy a paper, they're increasingly willing to buy into the brand.
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