FoxNews.com topped CNN.com in page views for the first time in January, according to comScore, though CNN is disputing how the calculation was made.
The Virginia-based media measurement and analytics company reports that FoxNews.com attracted 1.43 billion multiplatform total views in January, beating out CNN.com’s 1.409 billion.
“FoxNews.com has reached new heights with its digital presence by setting records in time spent on our digital platform to engage our viewers online,” said Jay Wallace, the Fox News Channel’s (FNC) president of news, in a press release announcing the results on Friday.
“We have always had the most loyal audience and are now pleased to say we have the most engaged online viewership as well,” he added.
“Congratulations to our dedicated team for overtaking CNN.com, despite their massive head start in digital, just as FNC surpassed CNN’s on TV more than 16 years ago.”
CNN officials pushed back on the characterization of the numbers, saying the data only took in a “subset” of its traffic.
When factoring in CNN’s entire digital business to include business and international entities, CNN tallies more than 1.69 billion views.
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Fox News reports that January was the website’s biggest month in its history, with an increase of 22 percent from January 2017, a month that included President Trump’s inauguration.
CNN, which has committed substantial resources to its digital effort in recent years under president Jeff Zucker, can still boast about easily owning the most unique users of any news outlet with 112.4 million, also according to comScore.
WashingtonPost.com finished second, with 90.3 million, and FoxNews.com third, with 88.9 million users, ahead of the surging NYTimes.com.
Cord-cutting and streaming options increasing in popularity have prompted many news outlets to commit more focus to the digital side of the business as millennials particularly have shown a preference for absorbing content online.