Newsbrands content consumed by 78% of adults around the Olympics

New research from Newsworks shows that 78% of all adults consumed newsbrand content around the time of the Olympics.

The one-off study, carried out online by YouGov among UK adults over the first post-Olympic weekend, found that national newspaper content, either in printed or digital form, was consumed by 78% of all adults, which equates to an audience of 32.8 million.

The research also found that while traditional printed newspapers were enjoyed by two thirds of adults (66%), more than half of readers (51%) had accessed content via computers, mobiles or tablets around the time of the Games.

National newspaper websites were used by nearly three in ten adults online (29%), outstripping Twitter (15%), Facebook (25%) and YouTube (12%) as a source for Olympic news.

Rufus Olins, CEO, Newsworks, said: “We predicted newsbrand audiences would rise during the Olympics. More readers turn to newsbrands at times of big national events – not just for the news itself but to read trusted sources of analysis and opinion and enjoy the wonderful images that come to define these occasions.”

Additionally, readers felt that newsbrands helped to create and amplify the Olympic experience, with 62% of multi-platform readers agreeing that newsbrands played an important part in building the positive mood of the nation during the Olympics, and 58% feeling they were an important part of the readers’ celebrations.

Another highlight from the research is how, around the Olympic period, newsbrands have attracted a youthful audience. The online survey revealed that among 18-34 year olds, some 82% had read newspaper brands on print or digital platforms.

While mobile phones and smartphones were used to access newsbrand content by 41% of the 18-34 year old age group, computers and laptops were the most dominant platform among18-24 year olds (45% usage), while tablets were most used by 25-34 year olds (15% usage).

Olins added: “Newsbrands engage the nation. This was very powerfully demonstrated during the Olympics – and the successful expansion into multiple platforms is providing newspaper brands with the opportunity to develop new, younger audiences.”