Visitor numbers across the company’s 196 local websites, which were relaunched in 2013, reached 15.6m, up more than 56% on the same month last year, says Johnston Press.
Visitors to all JP sites in January numbered 16.85m, more than 46% up. The enhanced sites, along with attention-grabbing editorial content in January, brought a digital audience across the Edinburgh Evening News and the Scotsman of 3.36m, 71% up on January 2013.
The Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening News were split into two separate sites as part of the relaunch of all Johnston Press local sites last year.
Johnston Press Group Editorial Development Director Paul Napier said: “The huge audience growth in January is a clear indication that editorial teams are making the most of the publishing opportunities offered by much-improved local sites.
“Significant work has been undertaken by product teams and content teams to make sure Johnston Press journalists can serve our audiences’ needs. Editorial teams are ever-more adept at creating and curating content with a digital-first mind-set. It is clear that innovative ways of telling and sharing stories across all JP platforms, along with more content, including video, from our audiences, is paying off.”
Johnston Press Digital Platforms Director Alex Gubbay added: “It’s very pleasing to see the hard work we’ve put in from a product perspective delivering significant audience growth, especially our re-launch of the Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening News.”
