Washington Post tops New York Times online for first time ever

More people visited the Washington Post’s website than The New York Times’ in October, marking a significant milestone in the battle for old guard supremacy in online media.

Last month, the Washington Post raked in 66.9 million multi-platform unique visitors narrowly edging out the New York Times, which recorded 65.8 million uniques, according to comScore. It’s the Post’s highest trafficked month since at least Oct. 2014, representing a 59 percent increase in less than a year.

traffic2

For the Times, traffic dipped slightly from September (66.5 million) with traffic largely stagnating over the past two years. Still, it was the Times’ second-highest month buoyed by viral pieces Miranda July’s interview with Rihanna and the lengthy, moving feature “The Lonely Death of George Bell.” 

The New York Times, according to a Politico New York piece from August, has been worried about the Post’s growing digital dominance, propelled by its ever growing selection of viral-focused blogs and a faster loading website. In response, the Times is building out its own “digital rewrite team” called the Express in an effort to capture some viral traffic.

Just two months ago, Politico asked “could the Post top the Times in unique visitors by this time next year?” The answer is yes (and much sooner!), but now the question is, will it last?

https://digiday.com/?p=146645

More in Media

How creators are using generative AI in podcasts, videos and newsletters — and what advertisers think about it

Here’s a look at how some creators are leveraging generative AI to create video, audio and written content — and whether or not that’s a turn-off for advertisers.

Illustration of a performer balancing money weights on a tightrope, symbolizing how brand safety tools help marketers maintain performance and control.

Buzzfeed, News Corp and New York Times push back on tariff fears in earnings calls

Publishing execs pushed back on tariff and macroeconomic climate fears in Q1 2025 earnings calls, expressing confidence that their businesses would grow this year.

Digiday+ Research: Publishers’ subscription revenue is up this year, and they’ll focus on growing it even further

Subscriptions is one area where publishers are seeing more revenue, and, in turn, ramping up their plans to strengthen that part of their business in the coming months.