Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
New York Times - statistics & facts
In publication since 1851, The New York Times is among the most well-known and influential newspapers in the world, and has a longstanding reputation for its in-depth reporting on a range of topics from politics to culture. Somewhat of a trailblazer when it came to encouraging core readers to sign up for a news subscription, The Times introduced its first digital subscription model as early as 2005, and by 2011 implemented its metered model, offering readers the option to access some free news content before they hit a paywall. As of the first quarter of 2023, the Times had over 6.5 million paid subscribers to its digital-only news product, placing the paper among the world leaders in this regard.
A strong online presence
In the 12 months running to May 2024, the New York Times had 110 million average web visitors – more than quadruple that of the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile the New York Times app now has over 35 million lifetime downloads, as well as almost 30 million for its games app. The publication was early to make the switch to digital and introduce bundles for its readers, and the is the leading global news site in terms of digital-only subscriptions.The NYT and artificial intelligence
The New York Times’ decision to sue OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its content to train artificial intelligence language models was arguably a bold one. The concept of a newspaper taking on Big Tech may seem outrageous (and not least, financial risky) but the explosion of ChatGPT and the use of AI in news sent shockwaves throughout the industry, and not every publication is embracing this new technology. The Times’ complaint could influence the future dynamics between generative AI technologies and news publishers, particularly regarding copyright law. Newsrooms around the world have several concerns about the ethics of AI and its impact on editorial quality, and the NYT’s owns concerns about protecting its journalism and retaining its subscriber base may be shared by other publications without the profile or prominence to openly go to battle with OpenAI.Still a household name
NYTimes.com ranks as of one of the most popular news websites in the United States. Equally, the website places among the most visited online news brands in the U.S., with 15 percent of respondents to a survey saying they had visited NYTimes.com in the last week, ahead of USA Today online and Washington Post’s website. Looking at the publication’s position offline, the Times still has a print circulation of over 250,000, more than that of USA Today and Los Angeles Times combined.
