• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 1, 2005

Nielsen//NetRatings, focusing exclusively on Internet users who consume newspapers and excluded  online users who obtain their news from other online news and information sources, reports that a significant 21 percent of Web users who read newspapers, have transferred their readership primarily to the online version.

The majority, however, or 72 percent of online users who consume newspapers primarily, still access print editions. Seven percent of online users who consume newspapers split their time evenly between the online and offline editions. 

Gerry Davidson, senior media analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings, says “A significant percentage of newspaper readers have transferred their preference  from print to online editions. Accordingly, many online editions now feature original content and have developed  an online strategy that includes online message boards and editorial blogs, which  leverage the medium's strengths of interactivity and immediacy.”

A greater proportion of male readers than female readers access their newspapers primarily online. Men who primarily read online newspapers make up 53 percent of online readers while women comprise 47 percent. In comparison, women make up 57 percent of those who read newspapers primarily in print.

Davidson continued, “Not surprisingly, the top online newspapers tend to be located in metropolitan cities where both population and broadband access rates are higher, which correlates  with greater Web page consumption.”

Find complete May Internet Rankings here.