NZ's largest digital news site accelerates in latest Nielsen data

A deluge of news and Stuff's unique investigative journalism has seen the country's largest news website stuff.co.nz accelerate its audience growth, as research shows ads next to quality news content deliver 20% more ad-attention seconds than other content.

New Nielsen data shows 2.25 million Kiwis aged 15+ got their news from the Stuff website in March, almost 400,000 New Zealanders ahead of the nearest competitor and a 3% lift on the year before. Stuff readers are also the most engaged of all news brands, with page views per person 45% ahead of the next news website. Overall, Stuff Group reaches 3.5 million Kiwis per month across its suite of brands.

Stuff Digital Commercial Director Jaana Collins says audiences are proven to pay more attention to advertising in trusted news environments.

"We know from eye-tracking studies on news sites that ads next to quality news content produce a 77% lift in brand recall and New Zealand brands are increasingly recognising that context matters," she says.

"Stuff not only delivers greater reach, with more Kiwis choosing it more often, but it also holds their attention longer - a testament to the trusted, high-quality environment it provides for both audiences and advertisers."

Stuff Digital Editor-in-Chief Keith Lynch says the Nielsen result shows that when big news happens, Kiwis turn to Stuff. In recent weeks that major news has come from Stuff's own investigations team as well as detailed coverage and analysis of the Iran war, personal finance and the increasing impacts of unexpected weather events on New Zealand life.

"We have an enormous responsibility to our audience to provide the most engaging and informative news in multiple formats so that news reaches them in the way they need at the time they need it," he says. "For stuff.co.nz that has meant a significant increase in short-form video, alongside our other visual and text journalism, and the ThreeNews product we deliver for Sky TV.

"In an increasingly fragmented and untrusted social media landscape, quality journalism from respected sources is critical for New Zealanders to understand the fast-moving news agenda and how it impacts their lives," he says. "Verifiable sources, real reporting and journalists who hold the powerful to account underpin the trust Kiwis have in us - and strong results for our commercial partners."