Digital media and publishing are constantly changing. Every new media and technology released, every shift in audience trends provides new areas for connecting and monetizing audiences.
Here are the top digital media companies in New York City to keep an eye on.
The New York Times
New York Post
Forbes
Genius
Newsweek
Business Insider
WebMD
CBS News
BuzzFeed
NFL
The Spruce
The Street
Mashable
Apartment Therapy
VICE
Inc.
Daily News
Bustle
Refinery29
Complex
SB Nation
Fast Company
Quartz
The Dodo
MindBodyGreen
Well+Good
Thrillist
Newsday
Shape
Fatherly
theSkimm
Bucket Listers
Cheddar
Grit Daily
Amsterdam News
DuJour
The New York Times
One of the longest-running newspapers in the country, The New York Times was founded in 1851. It’s a broadsheet-format daily newspaper and one of the most well-established online news sources in the country. It also serves as one of the country’s newspapers of record. The NYT is a daily newspaper with an average circulation of its print publication of 296,330 – the second largest after The Wall Street Journal. However, when combined with online subscribers, The NYT has the largest circulation in the country at 9.126 million. The newspaper has won 137 Pulitzer Prizes among numerous other accolades.
The New York Times attracts an average of 660.2M visitors per month, with 32.16% using desktop and 67.84% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 37.08% organic, 53.30% direct, 5.12% social, and 4.50% other traffic.
New York Post
The New York Post is a tabloid-format daily newspaper owned by News Corp. It was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton – one of the Founding Fathers – as The New-York Evening Post. Up until the mid-20th century it was a broadsheet-format newspaper. On the website, readers will find articles covering national and world news as well as opinion pieces, and content in verticals like sports, business, entertainment, real estate, lifestyle, media, tech, etc.
New York Post attracts an average of 172.5M visitors per month, with 19.43% using desktop and 80.57% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 43.01% organic, 38.76% direct, 11.65% social, and 6.58% other traffic.
Forbes
Founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917, Forbes is a business magazine. A hard copy of the magazine is published eight times a year. The website offers readers daily content around themes like leadership, money, innovation, small business, real estate, lifestyle, health, etc. Forbes is owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments. One of the most well-known features of the magazine is its annual lists and rankings – e.g., Forbes 30 under 30, the Forbes 400, The World’s Billionaires, etc.
Forbes attracts an average of 163.8M visitors per month, with 23.49% using desktop and 76.51% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 64.66% organic, 26.86% direct, 4.87% social, and 3.61% other traffic.
Genius
Genius was established in 2009 and is currently owned by MediaLab AI. It is often referred to as an “online music encyclopedia” as it allows users to provide annotations and interpretation to song lyrics, news stories, sources, poetry, and documents. On its website, users will find news in the music industry as well as featured stories, charts, and videos.
Genius attracts an average of 148.0M visitors per month, with 38.58% using desktop and 61.42% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 79.60% organic, 17.95% direct, 1.49% social, and 0.96% other traffic.
Newsweek
Newsweek was founded in 1933. It’s a weekly news magazine and online news source. It covers national and world news as well as publishes pieces in the science, health, life, entertainment, sports, autos, and various other verticals. In addition, Newsweek publishes annual rankings – e.g., America’s Greatest Workplaces for LGBTQ+, America’s Best Plastic Surgeons, America’s Best Maternity Hospitals, etc.
Newsweek attracts an average of 112.9M visitors per month, with 10.72% using desktop and 89.28% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 48.48% organic, 28.92% direct, 16.81% social, and 5.79% other traffic.
Business Insider
Business Insider – also known as BI – was launched in 2007. It is owned by Axel Springer. A financial and business news website, Business Insider covers news in business, politics, tech, markets, and lifestyle. Throughout its existence, BI won numerous accoldates, including the Pulitzer Prize in 2022. It has a combined social media following of 260 million.
Business Insider attracts an average of 107.6M visitors per month, with 15.82% using desktop and 84.18% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 52.43% organic, 31.37% direct, 11.82% social, and 4.38% other traffic.
WebMD
Originally known as Healthscape, WebMD is a consumer-oriented news and information site about health and well-being. It was founded in 1996, and is owned by Internet Brands. It is a leading health publisher in the country. WebMD publishes stories in categories like well-being, drugs and supplements, and conditions. Additionally, it offers a directory of doctors, a curated list of best hospitals, podcasts, webinars, a list of support groups, and Symptom Checker – a questionnaire-based self-diagnostic tool.
WebMD attracts an average of 94.28M visitors per month, with 25.53% using desktop and 74.47% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 83.27% organic, 14.95% direct, 0.87% social, and 0.91% other traffic.
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of CBS – a television and radio broadcaster that was founded in 1927. In addition to television programs like CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and numerous others, CBS News publishes daily content on its website. It covers local, national, and world news, entertainment, economy and finence, health, crime, and sports.
CBS News attracts an average of 88.20M visitors per month, with 19.92% using desktop and 80.08% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 46.88% organic, 40.69% direct, 8.03% social, and 4.40% other traffic.
BuzzFeed
Buzzfeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III. While its original focus was on viral content in the form of listicles, pop culture pieces, and online quizzes, it has since greatly expanded its coverage. BuzzFeed News – a spin-off from BuzzFeed that focused on long-form journalism – won numerous awards over the years, including the National Magazine Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the George Polk Award.
BuzzFeed attracts an average of 84.08M visitors per month, with 19.61% using desktop and 80.39% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 30.65% organic, 40.83% direct, 14.43% social, and 14.09% other traffic.
NFL
NFL.com is the official website of the National Footabll Association – a professional American football league. The website offers users a wide range of information: latest news, including transactions and player injuries, a live feed and an archive of scores, team schedules, detailed information on all teams, stats, standings, and more. Fans can also purchase tickets to games and team gear.
NFL attracts an average of 34.66M visitors per month, with 26.77% using desktop and 73.23% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 49.33% organic, 42.91% direct, 4.37% social, and 3.39% other traffic.
The Spruce
The Spruce was established in 2017 by Scott Kurnit. It’s a home improvement and interior design-focused online publication. It offers tips and inspirations around the themes of decor, garden, home improvement, cleaning, celebrations, what to buy, and more. The Spruce is owned by Dotdash Meredith. It has a large social media following, includding 747,000 on TikTok, 1.3 million on Facebook, 561,000 on Instagram, and 895,000 on Pinterest.
The Spruce attracts an average of 30.52M visitors per month, with 24.08% using desktop and 75.92% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 78.49% organic, 13.68% direct, 3.18% social, and 4.65% other traffic.
The Street
Founded in 1996, TheStreet is a subsidiary of The Arena Group. It focuses on financial news and financial literacy. On its website, it offers both free content and premium products. Paid subscribers receive expert-curated trade alerts and actionable insights, access to columns like Weekly Wins and Stocks Under $10, and the ability to participate in community events like monthly calls. Free users can access daily pieces in categories like tech, retail, crypto, breaking news, personal finance, entertainment, and others.
The Street attracts an average of 27.91M visitors per month, with 7.03% using desktop and 92.97% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 62.65% organic, 31.34% direct, 3.14% social, and 2.87% other traffic.
Mashable
Mashable was established in 2024 by Pete Cashmore. It’s an online news publisher that originally started as a simple WordPress blog. In 2009, Time magazine included Mashable on the list of 25 best blogs, bringing the next level of popularity to the blog, which then grew into a digital publisher. It is owned by Ziff Davis. Mashable offers readers news and insights in verticals like tech, science, life, social good, entertainment, product reviews, travel, and deals.
Mashable attracts an average of 17.98M visitors per month, with 25.10% using desktop and 74.90% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 63.46% organic, 27.08% direct, 5.12% social, and 4.34% other traffic.
Apartment Therapy
Apartment Therapy is a digital publication that was launched in 2004 by interior designer Maxwell Ryan. Its daily pieces are published in categories like house tours, decorating, organizing, cleaning, home projects, and plants and yards. In addition to publishing written, photo, and video content, Apartment Therapy features a vibrant community where users can ask questions around design, decluttering, connect with local users, and so on. Apartment Therapy won numerous awards over the years, including Digiday Media Brand of the year in 2022 and a Webby award in 2023.
Apartment Therapy attracts an average of 14.61M visitors per month, with 14.90% using desktop and 85.10% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 63.82% organic, 21.66% direct, 11.30% social, and 3.22% other traffic.
VICE
Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, VICE is currently headquartered in New York City. It was originally launched as a magazine and it still prints a monthly edition – the last available circulation data is for 2013, at around 1 million worldwide. On the website, it publishes daily content in categories like tech, entertainment, environment, investigation, music, photography, travel, and others. VICE won numerous awards and accolades over the years, including ASME Reader’s Choice award in different categories.
VICE attracts an average of 11.49M visitors per month, with 24.94% using desktop and 75.06% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 51.74% organic, 36.94% direct, 7.71% social, and 3.61% other traffic.
Inc.
Established in 1979 by Bernie Goldhirsh, Inc. is a business magazine published six times per year and a website. On the website, users can read articles around themes such as funding, incubators, marketing, strategy, HR/benefits, female founders, company culture, franchieses, etc. Inc. is also known by its flagship products: Inc.500 and Inc. 500 – lists of top companies published annually. Inc. is owned by Mansueto Ventures.
Inc. attracts an average of 10.21M visitors per month, with 14.98% using desktop and 85.02% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 58.77% organic, 26.43% direct, 9.37% social, and 5.43% other traffic.
Daily News
Established in 1919 and owned by Alden Global Capital, Daily News is a tabloid-format daily newspaper and online publisher. It was the first daily in the country printed in tabloid format. The average print circulation of the newspaper is 45,730. On the website, it publishes news in politics, sports, and entertainment, as well as offers various interactive games to users. Throughout its existence, Daily News won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Daily News attracts an average of 10.09M visitors per month, with 21.07% using desktop and 78.93% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 44.33% organic, 41.19% direct, 9.24% social, and 5.24% other traffic.
Bustle
Founded in 2013 by Bryan Goldberg (also a founder of Bleacher Report), Bustle is an online magazine that primarily caters to female readers. Within the first few years of its existence, it was already competing with established brakds like Refinery29 and Rookie. On its website, Bustle publishes news and opinion pieces around the themes of entertainment, style, beauty, wellness, life, and others.
Bustle attracts an average of 8.724M visitors per month, with 16.61% using desktop and 83.39% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 53.45% organic, 27.10% direct, 15.15% social, and 4.30% other traffic.
Refinery29
Refinery29 was established in 2005. Previously owned by Vice Media, as of 2024, it is owned by Sundial Media Group. On its website, users will find articles in categories like money diaries, horoscopes, beauty, work and money, fashion, entertainment, gaming, lifestyle, news, and others. Refinery29 also features original video series and an e-commerce section.
Refinery29 attracts an average of 8.617M visitors per month, with 20.52% using desktop and 79.48% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 54.89% organic, 34.90% direct, 6.85% social, and 3.36% other traffic.
Complex
Founded by fashion designer Marc (Ecko) Milecofsky in 2002 a bi-monthly magazine, Complex is now an online-only publisher that targets youth and reports on popular and emerging trends in fashion, food, music, sports, and pop culture. It has grown into a global media company with presence in Canada, UK, Australia, Netherlands, and a few other countries. In 2016, it became a joint-venture of Verizon and Hearst. In 2021, it was acquired by BuzzFeed. Most recently, in 2024, it got acquired by NTWRK.
Complex attracts an average of 8.544M visitors per month, with 18.75% using desktop and 81.25% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 55.11% organic, 27.53% direct, 13.60% social, and 3.76% other traffic.
SB Nation
SB Nation – short for SportsBlogs Nation – was launched in 2003. It is owned by Vox Media. It’s a sports blogging network. Through its 300+ community sites, it covers everything from National Basketball Association, National Footabll Leage, and Major League Baseball, to professional wrestline and college sports. Among its numerous accolades, SB Nation won the National Magazine Award in the “Digital Innovation” category in 2017 from the American Society of Magazine Editors in association with Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
SB Nation attracts an average of 7.490M visitors per month, with 78.61% using desktop and 78.61% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 42.43% organic, 39.68% direct, 9.11% social, and 8.78% other traffic.
Fast Company
Fast Company, established in 1995 by Alan Webber and Bill Taylor – former HBR editors – and owned by Mansueto Ventures, is a magazine and daily digital publication. It focuses on technology, business, and design. Fast Company publishes six print issues per year. On the website, it publishes pieces around such themes as big ideas that are changing the world, gadgets, apps, and AI, design, news, as well as podcasts and videos. Fast Company operates several franchises, including ‘Most Creative People’ and ‘Most Innovative Companies’.
Fast Company attracts an average of 7.462M visitors per month, with 27.87% using desktop and 72.13% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 50.20% organic, 30.30% direct, 14.03% social, and 5.47% other traffic.
Quartz
Established in 2012 by media veterans from Bloomberg, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Quarts covers “the biggest companies and the people who drive them.” The news website is owned by G/O Media. Its daily pieces are published in sections like business news, latest, money and markets, tech and innovation, lifestyle, AI, and leadership. In addition to English, Quartz also has French, German, and Spanish editions.
Quartz attracts an average of 6.211M visitors per month, with 19.95% using desktop and 80.05% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 43.54% organic, 34.94% direct, 12.48% social, and 9.04% other traffic.
The Dodo
The Dodo is a digital publication that focuses on animals’ stories. It was founded in 2014 and is owned by Vox Media. In addition to its English channel, in 2017, The Dodo launched a Spanish-language channel – “El Dodo”. Articles and video content on its site are published in categories like pets, wellness, family, and wildlife. Among The Dodo’s accolades are the title of the most “loved” publisher in the world on Toys for Tots and a Webby award.
The Dodo attracts an average of 5.720M visitors per month, with 9.09% using desktop and 90.91% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 47.44% organic, 13.48% direct, 37.04% social, and 2.04% other traffic.
MindBodyGreen
mindbodygreen – or mbg – is a digital platform in the well-being space. It offers articles, an e-commerce section, health coaching, and classes. 75% of its users are female. The average age is 36. Articles are published in a large range of verticals and sub-themes, including mindfulness, health, food, movement, beauty, home, parenting, relationships, lifestyle, planet, and others.
MindBodyGreen attracts an average of 5.690M visitors per month, with 19.87% using desktop and 80.13% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 78.30% organic, 16.75% direct, 2.51% social, and 2.44% other traffic.
Well+Good
Established in 2010, Well+Good strives to help its readers navigate the world of wellnes. It covers topics such as food and nutrition, health, fitness, lifestyle and self care, shopping, and beauty. In 2021, it launched a podcast. It has a combined following of 2.7 million people on social media, and 22 million views on YouTube.
Well+Good attracts an average of 3.893M visitors per month, with 18.06% using desktop and 81.94% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 74.90% organic, 19.19% direct, 3.43% social, and 2.48% other traffic.
Thrillist
Thrillist is a digital publication focused on food, drink, entertainment, and travel. It was established in 2004 and is owned by Vox Media. On its site, users can browse cities-specific content to discover local perspectives, guides and destinations, content on various types of experiences in those cities, news and trends, as well as advice on what to pack, lodging, tips and hacks, and more.
Thrillist attracts an average of 3.730M visitors per month, with 27.12% using desktop and 72.88% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 51.13% organic, 36.98% direct, 6.49% social, and 5.40% other traffic.
Newsday
Newsday is a tabloid-format daily newspaper founded in 1940. It primarily serves Long Island countries of Nassau and Suffolk. The average circulation is 97,182. On its website, Newsday publishes daily local news, as well as opinion pieces, and articles in business, things to do, schools, restaurants, and obituaries sections. It also offers a job board and a classifieds seciton. Newsday has won 19 Pulitzer Prizes in total.
Newsday attracts an average of 2.679M visitors per month, with 67.65% using desktop and 32.35% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 39.65% organic, 47.65% direct, 8.07% social, and 4.63% other traffic.
Shape
Shape is a monthly fitness magazine owned by Dotdash Meredith. It publishes 10 issues per year as well as daily online articles. Its content is split into themes like health and wellness, beauty, news and trends, and food and nuitrition.
Shape attracts an average of 2.500M visitors per month, with 20.50% using desktop and 79.50% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 77.40% organic, 16.81% direct, 2.29% social, and 3.50% other traffic.
Fatherly
Fatherly is a digital publication that targets parents. It was founded in 2015. The New York Times described it as “BuzzFeed meets Vice for parents.” It publishes piece in sections like life, health and science, play, style, and latest. While it brands itself as a digital publication for dads, the readership of Fatherly is evenly split, with 51% female readers and 49% male. About half of the readers are between the ages of 25 and 44.
Fatherly attracts an average of 1.375M visitors per month, with 11.81% using desktop and 88.19% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 58.94% organic, 30.50% direct, 6.05% social, and 4.51% other traffic.
theSkimm
theSkimm was established in 2012 by Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin – former producers at NBC. theSkimm rose to prominence as a newsletter that would offer a digest of news stories in a simple, easy-to-read format. It has since expanded into daily content, a mobile app, and a podcast. On the website, users can access pieces in verticals like news, money, wellness, parenting, shopping, state of women, games, and more.
theSkimm attracts an average of 1.173M visitors per month, with 28.05% using desktop and 71.95% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 26.84% organic, 60.06% direct, 3.46% social, and 9.64% other traffic.
Bucket Listers
Established in 2018, Bucket Lister’s mission is to “help people experience more out of life, by making it easy to discover & book amazing experiences around the world.” On its website, Bucket Listers publishes a curated list of experiences – e.g., live music, snorkeling, wine tours, etc. – that users can book in various cities in the United States. In addition, it publishes articles around the theme of experiences and relevant news.
Cheddar attracts an average of 142307 visitors per month, with 30.08% using desktop and 69.92% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 35.28% organic, 50.44% direct, 8.08% social, and 6.20% other traffic.
Cheddar
Cheddar is a live streaming financial news network. It was established by Jon Steinberg in 2016. Its daily live shows were described as “quasi-CNBC for millenials” due to their format and target audience. On its website, Cheddar publishes daily pieces in verticals such as business, science, politics, technology, and innovation hub.
Cheddar attracts an average of 142307 visitors per month, with 30.08% using desktop and 69.92% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 35.28% organic, 50.44% direct, 8.08% social, and 6.20% other traffic.
Grit Daily
Grit Daily was founded in 2018 by Jordan French. It’s an online publication that brands itself as a premier news source on Millennial and Gen Z startups. It publishes daily pieces in verticals like leadership, entrepreneur lifestyle, as well as news in finance, entertainment, blockchain, real estate, consumer, clean enetergy, e-commerce, and others. Grit Daily regularly hosts own events and participates in large industry events.
Grit Daily attracts an average of 69153 visitors per month, with 26.14% using desktop and 73.86% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 50.59% organic, 37.13% direct, 6.46% social, and 5.82% other traffic.
Amsterdam News attracts an average of 64652 visitors per month, with 43.71% using desktop and 56.29% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 58.83% organic, 26.72% direct, 9.72% social, and 4.73% other traffic.
DuJour
DuJour is a luxury lifestyle print magazine and digital publication. It was established in 2012 by Jason Binn. According to DuJour’s 2024 media kit, its quarterly magazine is distributed to 100,000 subscribers. On the website, users will find daily pieces in categories like news, style, beauty, culture, life, design, events, and others. Among the awards it won are Adweek’s Readers’ Choice award for Hottest Magazine and a Webby award for Best Homepage Website.
DuJour attracts an average of 48162 visitors per month, with 23.31% using desktop and 76.69% on mobile. Predominantly from United States, the site sees 69.94% organic, 22.04% direct, 4.93% social, and 3.09% other traffic.