CNN, most extensive cross-platform audience reach - survey

17 Sep 2009

LONDON: According to Synovate's European Media and Marketing Survey, CNN has the most extensive cross-platform reach among other international commercial television news networks. The survey measured daily, weekly and monthly audience reach among the main income earners in the top 20% of Europe's households by income from January to December 2008.

CNN was dominant for weekly and monthly reach in EMS Select 20, representing the top 3% of high income earners, frequent flyers and top managers. Each month, CNN International reaches 44.1% of Select universe, 18% more than closest TV competitor BBC World (37.4%). It registers the highest levels of cross-platform reach (48.4%) of its comparative set (and higher than nearest commercial competitors Euronews (+27%) and CNBC (+107%)). In EMS 20, on a monthly basis, approximately 20% of CNN's total audience engage with the brand both on television and online, making it the highest platform cross-over of audiences amongst all international commercial news networks.

Tony Maddox, managing director, CNN International says: "Our strong positioning in this globally recognised research is a validation of CNN's investment in newsgathering, new programming and generating content for multi-platform services. Our cross-platform reach is very strong and this is an emphatic validation of our 'multi-screen' strategy to deliver compelling, intelligent coverage to our viewers, wherever they may be watching us."

The EMS Digital Life survey, which reports the time spent on viewing by media type, indicates that TV and Internet are complementary media, used at different times of the day. CNN brand users over-index on their consumption of TV and online media with one third on average watching television or using the Internet at any given time of the day.

In comparison, to general EMS respondents, CNN.com users are more likely to be found online (excluding email and chat) - at any time of the day.

Added Maddox, "Just as viewers want intelligent discussion and multiple perspectives from our programming, they also want to showcase their own diverse view. We've pulled out the stops to give our audience opportunities to play a role in the discussion, across TV, online and mobile".