Online News Readers Are Growing Rapidly In India [Comscore Data]

ComScore a leader in measuring the digital world, today published a report on the top online news brands in India based on data from its comScore World Metrix service.Published the data about Indian news readers and sites and it shows that online news sites reached a record 15.8 million visitors age 15 and older in October, up 37 percent from the previous year, and representing 44 percent of the online population in India.Yahoo! News Ranks as Top Indian News Site; and Times of India Ranks as the Top Local News Brand

“The number of online news and information consumers in India surged 37 percent in the past year, more than double the rate of growth of the total online audience in India,” said Will Hodgman, comScore executive vice president for the Asia-Pacific region. “As the world’s seventh largest Internet market and one of the fastest growing, India represents fertile ground for both local and multinational publishers hoping to expand their audience footprint.”

Comscore says: In October 2009, nearly 16 million people visited an online news site in India, a gain of 37 percent from the previous year. A look at the most visited news destinations in India revealed that local brands make up a significant portion of the top news sites – and some of the fastest growing. The Times of India captured the #3 spot in terms of visitation reaching 2.6 million visitors during the month (up 78 percent), while Oneindia.in surged 148 percent to 2.4 million visitors. The Hindu Group, the fifth most visited news property in India, reached nearly 1.6 million visitors in October (up 19 percent).

Online News Category Sees Record Number of Visitors in October

Local News Providers [Data]

“Online news is a fast-growing market segment among the increasingly technology-oriented Indian population,” continued Mr. Hodgman. “News sites offer advertisers a touchpoint for reaching millions of engaged consumers in a branded environment. Having a reliable third-party source such as comScore helps increase media accountability in this marketplace, which should help accelerate the growth of the online advertising market in India.”