Newspaper websites saw large amounts of traffic in the fourth quarter of 2010, attracting an average monthly audience of 105.3 million unique visitors or 62 percent of all adult Internet users.

The analysis, by comScore for the Newspaper Association of America, also indicates that newspaper websites continue to attract key demographics, reaching 58 percent of 25-to-34-year-olds and 73 percent of individuals in households earning more than $100,000 a year on average through out the quarter.

The findings also pointed toward audience engagement, with newspaper website visitors generating an average of 4.1 billion page views each month, spending nearly 3.4 billion minutes browsing the sites. 
 
“Newspaper websites stand out in today’s online environment, with trusted brands and high-quality journalism attracting an impressive audience that sets them apart from other players in the digital space,” said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. 

“As publishers continue to reinvent their business models, digital is at the forefront of a multiplatform transition that has seen steady growth in online advertising revenue.”

Figures released by NAA in early December indicate that online advertising generated $690 million for newspapers in last year’s third quarter, a nearly 11 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.