Global News Website Traffic Rankings: July 2026
The global digital news landscape continues to be dominated by established media brands, while several newer platforms are showing significant growth. The July 2026 traffic rankings highlight a mix of traditional publishers, digital-first media companies, aggregators and specialist news platforms.
According to the data shown, The New York Times leads the ranking with 406.3 million visits in July 2026, significantly ahead of Fox News and CNN.
Top News Websites by July 2026 Visits
| Rank | News Brand | July 2026 Visits | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYTimes.com | 406.3M | -12% |
| 2 | FoxNews.com | 222.1M | -11% |
| 3 | CNN.com | 220.5M | -32% |
| 4 | Finance.Yahoo.com | 144.4M | -2% |
| 5 | MSN.com | 136.8M | -22% |
| 6 | People.com | 126.6M | -22% |
| 7 | BBC.com | 96.9M | -3% |
| 8 | Substack.com | 95.9M | +27% |
| 9 | News.Google.com | 92.1M | -14% |
| 10 | NYPost.com | 91.2M | -29% |
Other major publishers in the ranking include USA Today, CNBC, AP News, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, The Washington Post, NBC News, NPR, Forbes and Reuters.
Substack Emerges as a Major Growth Story
One of the most notable figures in the ranking is Substack, which recorded 95.9 million visits and 27% year-over-year growth.
This reflects the continued shift toward creator-led journalism, independent publishing and direct audience relationships. While many traditional media brands experienced year-over-year declines, platforms built around individual writers, newsletters and niche communities continue to demonstrate strong growth potential.
India Shows Strong Momentum
India Times recorded 36.9 million visits, with 39% year-over-year growth and 57% month-over-month growth, making it one of the strongest growth stories in the table.
The performance highlights the growing importance of India’s digital news audience and the increasing global relevance of Indian media platforms.
Al Jazeera Records the Highest YoY Growth
Al Jazeera recorded 24 million visits and an impressive 108% year-over-year increase, the highest YoY growth among the brands shown.
Meanwhile, The Hill (+16%), The Atlantic (+11%), The Daily Beast (+1%) and Substack (+27%) were among the other platforms showing positive annual growth.
What the Rankings Tell Us
The July 2026 data reveals several important trends:
1. Established media remains powerful
The New York Times, Fox News, CNN, BBC and other major publishers continue to attract massive global audiences.
2. Traffic declines are widespread
A significant number of established publishers recorded double-digit year-over-year declines, indicating increasing competition for digital attention.
3. Creator-led media is gaining momentum
Substack’s 27% YoY growth demonstrates the increasing influence of independent publishing and direct-to-reader media.
4. Indian digital media is growing rapidly
India Times’ 39% YoY growth and 57% MoM growth stand out in the ranking.
5. International news brands can experience rapid growth
Al Jazeera’s 108% YoY growth demonstrates how geopolitical events, international audiences and strong digital distribution can rapidly change traffic rankings.
The Bigger Opportunity for Brands and PR
For brands, these numbers reinforce an important point: media visibility is no longer limited to traditional newspapers and television.
Modern PR strategies need to combine traditional media, digital publications, newswire distribution, search visibility, social media, publisher networks and emerging AI-driven discovery platforms.
Getting a brand story distributed across relevant authoritative publications can help increase visibility among journalists, media professionals, investors, customers and increasingly AI platforms and Large Language Models (LLMs).
The future of PR is therefore moving from simply asking, “Can we get coverage?” to asking:
“Can our brand become discoverable across the entire digital information ecosystem?”
Source: July 2026 news-brand traffic ranking data shown in the provided reference image. Figures should be treated as the data displayed in the source image rather than independently verified traffic estimates.