News consumption patterns and preferences were explored among 1,230 Reuters.com users globally. Respondents reported consuming news from various platforms and sources, with PCs/laptops and news websites/apps being most dominant. Nine in ten turn to trusted news brands to verify breaking stories. Key attributes making news brands appealing included trustworthy content, reputation, and credibility. While most were satisfied with current online news, only one third would pay for unique, high-quality content. Emerging technologies, especially those leveraging mobile devices, were expected to significantly influence future news consumption.

2. Base: All global respondents
2
• Understand news consumption patterns of Reuters.com users
• Explore content and news preferences, platforms used, and sources accessed
• Identify news consumption routines and preferred news formats
• Delve into social media and identify what makes news sharable
• Assess the value of news brands.... and the future outlook
• Explore the impact of technology change on news consumption
OBJECTIVES

3. Base: All global respondents
3
• Global online survey among 1,230 Reuters.com users who are currently working
• Survey used database of users who have registered with Reuters.com as the sample source
• Regions covered include Americas, EMEA and APAC
• Regional data weighted equally across regions to produce global average data
• Project managed by research agency: Synergy Research and Consulting.
• Fielded between 8th and 29th April 2016
METHOD

4. Base: All global respondents
4
GENDER
17% FEMALE
83% MALE
JOB
POSITION
DIRECTOR+
38%
SECTOR
22% BANKING
12% TECH
US$1 MIL+
INVESTMENTS
20%
AGE
58% < 55
42% > 55
INCOME
$100,000+
39%
PROFILE

5. Base: All global respondents
5
CONTENT
BRANDS
FUTURE
STRUCTURE

6. Base: All global respondents
6
CONTENT

7. Base: All global respondents
7
PASSION FOR NEWS
Question: To what extent do you agree with
the following statements regarding news
consumption? (% AGREE)
Question: Which of the following types of
news/content do you usually consume?
NEWS ABOUT
YOUR COUNTRY
94%
91%
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
BREAKING
NEWS
93%
COMPANY
INFORMATION
77%
BUSINESS &
FINANCIAL NEWS
92%
STOCK
PRICES/MARKET
DATA
74%
NEWS ABOUT
THE ECONOMY
94%
IN DEPTH
ANALYSIS
87%
GLOBAL
NEWS
97%
92%
POLITICS &
CURRENT AFFAIRS
like to know about
a news story as soon
as it breaks84%
Consistent interest in news genres across regions and age

8. Base: All global respondents
8
NEWS ROUTINE FOR
THE WORKING WEEK
Question: Do you have a routine for
consuming news?
I have a daily routine for catching up
with news during the working week
Millennials
35-44
45-54
+55
Millennials
35-44
45-54
+55
I have a routine for catching up with
news at the weekend
71%
69%
75%
77%
22%
24%
30%
31%
have a daily routine
for consuming
news during the week74%

9. Base: All global respondents
9
MORNING NEWS FIX,
WEEKEND LEISURE
Question: When do you consume the following
types of content/news?
ENTERTAINMENT
AND LEISURE
58%
CULTURE AND
LIFESTYLE
59%
LUXURY AND
FASHION
64%
TRAVEL AND
TOURISM
62%

10. Base: All global respondents
10
PC AND LAPTOP DOMINANT
NEWS PLATFORMS
Question: When do you access news on the
following platforms? (% ANY ACCESS)
64%
PRINT NEWSPAPERS/
MAGAZINES
MOBILE
76%
PC AND LAPTOP
94%
TV
73%
NEWS TERMINALS
53%
TABLET
61%
RADIO
59%
access PCs and
laptops for their news
fix94%

11. Base: All global respondents
11
NEWS WEBSITES AND APPS
DOMINANT NEWS SOURCES
Question: Which of the following sources do you
refer to when consuming news stories online?
Podcasts
Blogs/video blogs
Online radio
Online TV
Search by news brand name
News alerts through an app
News aggregator websites or apps
Social media
Search by news story
Email newsletters or email alerts
News websites or apps 83%
48%
36%
34%
32%
32%
27%
15%
13%
11%
11%
access websites or
apps for news stories83%

12. Base: All global respondents
12
SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANT
AMONG MILLENNIALS
Question: Which of the following sources
do you refer to when consuming news stories
online?
of Millennials turn to
social media when
consuming online news56%
Search by
news brand
News alerts
through app
News aggregator
website or apps
Social
media
Search by
news story
Email newsletter
or alerts
26%
28%
24%
28%
38%
26%
36%
31%
31%
31%
35%
32%
56%
49%
33%
21%
36%
37%
34%
36%
36%
48%
51%
50%
News websites
or apps
79%
83%
87%
83%55+
45-54
35-44
Millennials

13. Base: All global respondents
13
Podcasts
58% To consume previously
downloaded content
75% To share news stories/
updates with friends/colleagues
Social media
DIFFERENT NEWS SOURCES
USED IN DIFFERENT WAYS
Question: Which of the following sources do
you tend to use/access in the following news
situations?
86% To access a reliable news
source I can trust
News website or apps
60% To catch up with the news first
thing in the morning
News aggregator website/ apps
57% To obtain opinions from
thought leaders and influencers
Blogs/ video blogs
66% To view videos of a news
story that unfolds
Online TV
52% To find out about a news story
that has just broken
News alerts via email or apps
67% To obtain news updates on a
company or sector
Search engines
56% To catch up with the news
first thing in the morning
Online radio

14. Base: All global respondents
14
HIGH ENGAGEMENT
WITH NEWS VIA
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Question: Which of the following social networks or
messaging apps do you ever use for consuming or
sharing news?
39%
51%
35%
27%
82%
30%
2%
ANY
33%
8%

15. Base: All global respondents
15
MILLENNIALS DRIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA
Question: Which of the following social
networks or messaging apps do you ever use
for consuming or sharing news?
of Millennials use social
media for consuming
and sharing news96%
4%
3%
2%
1%
14%
11%
5%
7%
17%
24%
26%
31%
34%
40%
31%
23%
40%
37%
34%
33%
34%
44%
42%
36%
71%
59%
49%
42%55+
45-54
35-44
Millennials 96%
91%
82%
74%
ANY
42%
40%
33%
26%

16. Base: All global respondents
16
INTELLIGENT CONTENT
STIMULATES NEWS SHARING
Question: What makes a news story
attractive and shareable?
Question: To what extent do you agree
with the following statements? (% AGREE) IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS
OF NEWS STORY
60%
36%
IMPACTFUL
PICTURES AND
INFOGRAPHICS
EASY TO UNDERSTAND
CONTENT
43%
A CAPTIVATING TITLE
26%
CONTENT I CAN
RELATE TO
43%
CONTROVERSIAL
CONTENT
23%
THE SOURCE OF THE
NEWS STORY
47%
SHORT
ARTICLES
26%
INTELLECTUALLY
STIMULATING
CONTENT
65%
42%
RECOGNIZED AND
RESPECTED
JOURNALISTS
actively share news
on social media54%

17. Base: All global respondents
17
78%
64%
47%
36%
31%
20%
It’s the headlines of a story that grab my attention
I prefer long articles with in-depth analysis over short
ones
Personalized, tailored content is important to me
I tend to read just the news headlines
Once a news story is broken, once I have the main
headlines I am less interested in following how a story
unfolds
I prefer news in video format rather than text
feel it is the headline of
a news story that grabs
their attention78%
HEADLINES GRAB
ATTENTION
Question: To what extent do you agree with the
following statements regarding news formats and
types? (% AGREE)
Base: All global respondents

18. Base: All global respondents
18
FACTUAL AND IMPARTIAL
NEWS PREFERRED
Question: To what extent do you agree with
the following statements regarding news
formats and types? (% AGREE)
Variation by age for news with an opinion or stance
Millennials
35-44
45-54
+55
51%
45%
41%
37%
I prefer news stories with
an opinion or stance41%
82% I usually try to avoid
sensationalism in
the news
prefer factual and
impartial news content95%

19. Base: All global respondents
19
ADVERTISING RECEPTIVENESS
AND AVOIDANCE
Question: Which of the following do you
agree with? (% AGREE)
Millennials
35-44
45-54
+55
37%
33%
29%
32%
I am more receptive to
sponsored content/
advertising when it is
within a news story
that interests me
32%
42%
I am more receptive to
sponsored content/
advertising when it
appears within a trusted
online news brand
47% the ad blocking trend
will continue across all
media
Millennials
35-44
45-54
+55
47%
41%
38%
44%
I am more receptive to sponsored content/advertising when it
is within a news story that interests me
I am more receptive to sponsored content/advertising when it
appears within a trusted online news brand

20. Base: All global respondents
20
BRANDS

21. Base: All global respondents
21
QUALITY HEALTH CHECK
Question: To what extent do you agree
with the following statements? (% AGREE)
believe a news brand
is a mark of quality
on a story81%
usually check multiple
sources when a news
story breaks85%
often turn to the news
brands they trust to
verify the source of a
breaking news story9/10
BUT

22. Base: All global respondents
22
TRUST REPUTATION AND
CREDIBILITY DRIVE APPEAL
Question: Which FIVE of the following
attributes do you think make an online news
brand most appealing? (ANY TOP FIVE %)
REPUTATION AND
CREDIBILITY
71%
39%
BREADTH OF
CONTENT AVAILABLE
UNBIASED/
IMPARTIAL STANCE
58%
ON THE GROUND
REPORTING
24%
SPEED OF
DELIVERING
BREAKING NEWS
52%
IN DEPTH ANALYSIS
64%
USER EXPERIENCE
AND SATISFACTION
27%
TRUSTWORTHY
CONTENT
73%
48%
TRUSTED AND
RESPECTED
JOURNALISTS
find trustworthy
content, reputation and
credibility appealing70%
OVER

23. Base: All global respondents
23
HIGH SATISFACTION WITH
NEWS BRANDS ACROSS
REGIONS AND AGE
Question: Do today’s online news brands satisfy
your news consumption needs and habits? (%
SATISFIED)
Question: To what extent do you agree with the
following statements? (% AGREE)
feel satisfied with today’s
online news brands71%
I will not pay for
news content
even if it’s unique
and high quality
65%
BUT
took action after
consuming news
content9 in10

24. Base: All global respondents
24
FUTURE

25. Base: All global respondents
25
NEWS BRANDS ARE HERE
TO STAY
Question: Which of the following
statements regarding the future of news do
you agree with? (% AGREE)
MY NEWS
CONSUMPTION
WILL CONTINUE
TO GROW
50%
MY CONSUMPTION
OF LINEAR TV
WILL DECLINE
39%
MY CONSUMPTION
OF NEWS IS LIKELY
TO CHANGE
THROUGH LIFE
59%
13%
ROBOTICS AND
AUTOMATION WILL BE
THE NEXT JOURNALISTS
NEWS BRANDS WILL
DISAPPEAR
12%
14%
SOCIAL MEDIA WILL
BE MY PRIMARY
NEWS SOURCE
feel that news brands
will disappear
12%
ONLY

26. Base: All global respondents
26
TECHNOLOGY CHANGE
TO SHAPE NEWS CONSUMPTION
Question: To what extent do you think the following
technological innovations will influence your
consumption of news in the long term?
(% INFLUENCE) MOBILE APP
DEVELOPMENT
84%
60%
WEARABLE
TECHNOLOGIES
ROBOTICS & ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
67%
AUGMENTED
REALITY
57%
INTERNET OF THINGS
& CONNECTED LIVING
81%
VIRTUAL
REALITY
58%
INCREASING POWER
OF MOBILE DEVICES
89%
63%
VIRTUAL NEWS
READER
feel the capabilities of
mobile devices will
drive news consumption89%

27. Base: All global respondents
27
76%
60%
58%
50%
79%
61%
58%
51%
71%
61%
63%
55%
77%
64%
64%
57%
78%
69%
66%
64%
87%
85%
81%
77%
88%
86%
83%
82%55+
45-54
35-44
Millennials 93%
91%
88%
87%
Virtual
reality
Wearable
technologies
Virtual news
reader
Robotics,
artificial
intelligence
Internet of
Things
Mobile app
development
Increasing
power of
mobile
Augmented
reality
Question: To what extent do you think the following
technological innovations will influence your
consumption of news in the long term?
(% INFLUENCE)
MILLENNIALS TO DRIVE NEWS
TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION
of Millennials feel VR
will influence their
news consumption79%

28. Base: All global respondents
28
• Respondents consume news across many platforms and different sources
• 9 in ten turn back to their trusted news brands to verify the source of a breaking news story
• Ownership of the ’content validation space’ is an area that news brands should continue to exploit
• Trust is a key attribute that makes a news brand appealing
• Only two thirds won’t pay for content even if it’s unique and high quality
• Access to different news sources varies depending on different ‘news situations and needs’
• The Importance of In-depth analysis is a consistent theme
• Take developing technologies seriously
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