The New York Times added 420,000 digital-only subscribers during the third quarter, bringing its total subscriber count to 13.8 million.
Digital-only subscribers reached 13.2 million, up 12.4% from a year earlier and 3.3% from the previous quarter, according to Press Gazette’s report on the company’s results.
The subscriber growth was accompanied by higher digital revenue.
Digital-only subscription revenue reached $421.25 million, up 14.6% year over year. Digital advertising revenue increased 12% to $109.85 million.
The company attributed the advertising growth to “continued marketer demand and growth in advertising supply.”
Average monthly revenue per digital-only subscriber rose 1.4% from a year earlier to $9.93. Digital-only subscribers now account for about 96% of the company’s total subscriber base.
Print continued to move in the opposite direction.
The Times reported 540,000 print subscribers, down 5% from a year earlier and 1.8% from the previous quarter.
Print subscription revenue fell 0.7% to $126.3 million. Print advertising declined 4.3% to $32.7 million, with the company citing lower single-copy revenue.
Across the business, total subscription revenue increased 10.7% to $547.5 million. Total advertising revenue rose 7.8% to $142.6 million.
Overall revenue reached $768.5 million, up 9.7% from the same quarter last year, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings release.
CEO Meredith Kopit Levien described the results as evidence of “sustained momentum.”
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She said growth was “powered by strong engagement and retention across our portfolio.” Kopit Levien also pointed to the company’s focus on “humanmade journalism and product experiences that people seek out directly.”
The results highlight the continued importance of subscriptions to the Times’ business model.
Digital-only subscription revenue grew faster than the average amount paid per subscriber. That means subscriber growth, not just higher pricing, contributed to the increase.
The company has also expanded its subscriber offering through acquisitions and product development.
Press Gazette noted that businesses such as The Athletic and Wirecutter, along with products including Wordle, have strengthened the broader subscription portfolio. The source does not attribute the Times’ entire bundle or its subscriber growth to those acquisitions alone.
The quarter also came during an active U.S. political news cycle ahead of the midterm elections.
Press Gazette noted that campaigning had intensified in recent months. Neither the report nor the company’s results quantify any effect that political coverage may have had on subscriber additions.
For publishers, the Times’ results show continued growth in a subscription-heavy business even as print declines.
The company added hundreds of thousands of digital subscribers, increased digital subscription revenue and recorded higher digital advertising revenue during the quarter.
What the results do not establish is which individual products, news events or audience channels drove those additions. The company instead points more broadly to engagement and retention across its portfolio.
