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Online News Engagement,
Before & After COVID-19

 

The news stories of the past few weeks feel impossibly urgent. 

As journalists broadcast from their living rooms to ours, they also manage the flow of information from the frontlines and keep the nation in the know. 

We used Helixa's AI-powered technology to analyze observed online behavior here and abroad, to better understand this trend. See how the conversation continued beyond the broadcast.


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People are seeking expertise directly from the source.


We compared the 12 weeks before and after March 11th, 2020 to see how American social engagement with the news reflected an unprecedented global crisis.


For starters, engagement with these major health organizations has skyrocketed.

 

  • 347%+

    INTERNATIONAL
    WHO
  • 433%+

    NATIONAL
    Department of Health
  • 750%+

    REGIONAL
    NYC Health + Hospitals

Newspapers are also seeing a significant upward trend.

National newspapers:

the-new-york-times-logo-900x330-1-1+36%
(4 weeks after pandemic)
+22%
(12 weeks after pandemic)
 

usa-today-logo-1+32%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

 +6%

(12 weeks after pandemic)

 

wall-street-journal-logo-inline-561x146px+25%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

+22%

(12 weeks after pandemic)

Regional newspapers:

houston-chronicle-vector-logo-1+100%
(4 weeks after pandemic)
+80%
(12 weeks after pandemic)
 

boston-globe-logo-1-1+48%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

+22%

(12 weeks after pandemic)

 

chicago-tribune-logo+41%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

-36%

(12 weeks after pandemic)

Digital news:

buzzcode-logo-1+87%
(4 weeks after pandemic)
+17%
(12 weeks after pandemic)
 

HuffPost+15%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

+6%

(12weeks after pandemic)

1280px-Vox_logo-10%

(4 weeks after pandemic)

-13%

(12 weeks after pandemic)

View all servies..

News vs.
Politics

While news outlets are seeing more engagement, political reporting is not seeing the same gains

cnn-logo

+20%

cnn_politics_header

0%

nprlogo

+9%

npr-politics

-18%

That trend flips when we look at the news personalities.


Pundits are seeing increased engagement at a rate more than double that of news personalities.

news

NEWS PERSONALITIES

pundits

POLITICAL HOSTS + PUNDITS

National broadcasters in other countries

are seeing a significant uptick...

 

We looked at the respective national audience for each broadcaster. 

 
  • 77%+


    CBC News

    (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.)
    CBC News
  • 63%+


    BBC News

    (United Kingdom)

    BBC News
  • 26%+


    ABCTV News

    (Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
    ABCTV News

...while our national broadcasters have seen mixed gains

 

In the first 12 weeks of COVID-19, CBS News has seen the largest jump.

  • 45%+


    CBS News
    CBS News
  • 17%+


    NBC News
    NBC News
  • 5%+


    ABC News
    ABC News

But sometimes, we just need a lighter take.

 

Comedic news programming is thriving, we're seeing the engagement more than doubling post COVID-19.

Artboard 16_1

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

+192%

Asset 14

FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE

+66%

Asset 13

THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH

+38%

Market Research for the 21st Century

 

ABOUT HELIXA 

We leverage responsible AI and machine learning to deliver audience insights with more depth and detail than you would ever get from a single source platform - all in minutes.

Our mission is to help our clients and partners connect in a more meaningful way with the audiences that matter most to them.

If you’re ready to spend less time searching and more time thinking, let's talk.

Methodology