Daily Star Leads UK News Website Growth in September With 160% Spike in Engagement
Ipsos iris data shows Daily Star’s audience reached 7.7 million and minutes spent surged 160 per cent year-on-year in September
The Daily Star registered the strongest growth among the UK’s 50 largest news websites in September, according to the latest industry data from Ipsos iris.
The Reach-owned title saw minutes spent reach 29.4 million, up 160 per cent year-on-year, while its audience rose by 150.4 per cent to 7.7 million users.
In contrast to earlier months—August, when the site peaked with 34.9 million minutes, but then saw a month-on-month drop of 16 per cent in September—the September data reflects both the impact of a major digital redesign introduced in June and a shift in user behaviour toward the tabloid’s refreshed online format.
Editor-in-chief Ben Rankin attributed the surge to “all the little things” the team implemented amid a broader digital transformation.
Other newsbrands also recorded strong growth in minutes spent: Substack logged 41.9 million minutes (up 151 per cent) and Bristol Live rose to 12.2 million minutes (up 131 per cent) in the same month.
However, more than half of the top 50 sites—thirty in total—experienced a month-on-month dip in minutes spent despite the overall annual growth for some.
In terms of reach, the top ten brands all posted year-on-year audience growth in September.
The Telegraph grew 23 per cent to 18 million users, the Daily Express 22.7 per cent to 16 million, and The Guardian 17.4 per cent to 23 million.
Meanwhile, some brands recorded steep declines: GB News fell 45.3 per cent to 4.9 million, Forbes dropped 44.6 per cent to 4 million, and Healthline Media was down 35.2 per cent to 5 million.
Ipsos iris data, which combines panel-metering with tagged website metrics, emphasises the growing divergence in digital news consumption.
That divergence is reflected in how some legacy tabloids have re-focused on exclusive content, mobile optimisation and social distribution, while others appear to be losing traction.
The Daily Star’s record surge underscores the capacity of agile digital strategy to drive year-on-year growth—even in an otherwise flat or declining market for engagement.
With major players showing variation in both reach and user time, the September figures illustrate how audience behaviours are shifting rapidly across British newsbrands.
For the Daily Star, the challenge will now be sustaining momentum as October and subsequent months bring changes in news cycle, platform algorithms and advertiser demands.
The Reach-owned title saw minutes spent reach 29.4 million, up 160 per cent year-on-year, while its audience rose by 150.4 per cent to 7.7 million users.
In contrast to earlier months—August, when the site peaked with 34.9 million minutes, but then saw a month-on-month drop of 16 per cent in September—the September data reflects both the impact of a major digital redesign introduced in June and a shift in user behaviour toward the tabloid’s refreshed online format.
Editor-in-chief Ben Rankin attributed the surge to “all the little things” the team implemented amid a broader digital transformation.
Other newsbrands also recorded strong growth in minutes spent: Substack logged 41.9 million minutes (up 151 per cent) and Bristol Live rose to 12.2 million minutes (up 131 per cent) in the same month.
However, more than half of the top 50 sites—thirty in total—experienced a month-on-month dip in minutes spent despite the overall annual growth for some.
In terms of reach, the top ten brands all posted year-on-year audience growth in September.
The Telegraph grew 23 per cent to 18 million users, the Daily Express 22.7 per cent to 16 million, and The Guardian 17.4 per cent to 23 million.
Meanwhile, some brands recorded steep declines: GB News fell 45.3 per cent to 4.9 million, Forbes dropped 44.6 per cent to 4 million, and Healthline Media was down 35.2 per cent to 5 million.
Ipsos iris data, which combines panel-metering with tagged website metrics, emphasises the growing divergence in digital news consumption.
That divergence is reflected in how some legacy tabloids have re-focused on exclusive content, mobile optimisation and social distribution, while others appear to be losing traction.
The Daily Star’s record surge underscores the capacity of agile digital strategy to drive year-on-year growth—even in an otherwise flat or declining market for engagement.
With major players showing variation in both reach and user time, the September figures illustrate how audience behaviours are shifting rapidly across British newsbrands.
For the Daily Star, the challenge will now be sustaining momentum as October and subsequent months bring changes in news cycle, platform algorithms and advertiser demands.
