EL PAÍS consolidates its digital lead in Spain

In September the newspaper was once again the most widely read online daily on both PC and mobile devices

For another straight month, EL PAÍS has held onto its strong lead among the digital press in Spain, maintaining its top-ranking spot for unique users, according to ComScore, the trusted media measurement and analytics company. September saw EL PAÍS reach 19 million readers in Spain for its content in digital format, either via PC or mobile devices. This figure represents an annual increase of 29%, and may be attributed, primarily, to the interest generated by coverage of the terrorist attack in Barcelona in August and the push for independence in Catalonia.

ComScore certifies that EL PAÍS remains in first place among the press in Spain, over a period which has seen a sharp decline for La Vanguardia (down 6.7%) and ABC (down 3%), and an slight increase of 1.5% for El Mundo. Figures show that at least 19 million readers residing in Spain accessed news on EL PAÍS at least once in September.

Recent years have witnessed a shift of readers from print media to digital media, encouraged particularly by the massive penetration of mobile phones in the market. Print media worldwide, except in markets such as India, have suffered a continued decline in newsstand sales, subscriptions and print advertising since 2008. Nevertheless, this does not mean that journalism is no longer relevant. Indeed, thanks to the ubiquity of mobile devices, there are now more newsreaders than ever before.

EL PAÍS has long been the leading provider of news in Spain and maintains its strong lead for print media, according to the OJD, the official media measurement company. And even as newsstand sales have fallen, the newspaper has achieved first place among the digital press. What’s more, in August, EL PAÍS reported record figures for unique users of a newspaper in Spain with a total of 19.8 million. Never before have so many readers accessed one single newspaper.

The newspaper has a range of distribution channels. Chief among these are two websites in Spanish – for Spain and the Americas – one in Catalan, another in Portuguese published in Brazil, and one in English.The paper also distributes its content through search engines and on social media, with a special focus on Facebook, the world’s  largest social network. It also publishes videos and broadcasts TV content live via YouTube, Facebook and Periscope.

More than half of EL PAÍS readers are in the Americas, which explains why, in September, the most widely read newspaper reports were related to the earthquake in Mexico and Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. These stories were followed in popularity by articles and editorials on the Catalan separatist process, notably "Puigdemont’s Lies," which was the most widely read opinion piece in the recent history of the newspaper.