IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that its digital network delivered record growth in 2020, ranking #1 in local news for every month of the year and reaching all-time highs across key performance indicators (KPIs) including average monthly users, total pageviews, total multiplatform minutes and total digital video views, according to Comscore.
Nexstar’s digital network averaged a record 91 million unique monthly users in 2020, a 70% increase compared to the prior year period. Strong audience growth fueled record content engagement, with visitors generating 7.8 billion total pageviews and spending 10.4 billion total multiplatform minutes on Nexstar’s local websites and mobile apps, up 130% and 136%, respectively, from 2019. In addition, Nexstar’s digital network generated 1.6 billion total video views, highlighting the Company’s leading local brands and news content.
Karen Brophy, Nexstar, Inc. President, Digital, stated, “Nexstar’s successful realignment of its digital operations following the acquisition of Tribune Media focuses on content and audience development and has delivered tremendous results, with Nexstar’s digital network generating record performance in terms of overall use and year-over-year growth. Reflecting the strength of Nexstar’s strong, local news organizations across the country, our local websites and mobile apps ranked #1 in local news for every month in 2020, with over 90 million average unique monthly users, reflecting both same-station and acquisition-related audience growth, as well as the Company’s unprecedented level of COVID-19 and 2020 election coverage.
“Local news has never been more essential for Americans and as the most powerful and trusted voice in America, more people are engaging with their broadcast stations’ news content on more platforms than ever before. To continue growing our audience share and content engagement in 2021, we remain focused on leveraging our integrated content strategy across Nexstar’s 400+ digital touchpoints and increasing awareness of our fact-based, unbiased national news network, NewsNation, and the NewsNationNow website and mobile app, while scaling BestReviews, our recently acquired leading consumer product recommendations company.”
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ: NXST) is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Nexstar Inc., consists of three divisions: Broadcasting, Digital, and Networks. The Broadcasting Division operates, programs, or provides sales and other services to 198 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 116 markets or approximately 39% of all U.S. television households (reflecting the FCC’s UHF discount). The division’s portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. The Digital Division operates 122 local websites and 316 mobile apps offering hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content and creating new revenue opportunities for the company. The Networks Division operates WGN America, a growing national general entertainment cable network and the home of NewsNation, multicast network Antenna TV, and WGN Radio in Chicago. Nexstar also owns a 31.3% ownership stake in TV Food Network, a top tier cable asset. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements include information preceded by, followed by, or that includes the words "guidance," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "could," or similar expressions. For these statements, Nexstar claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication, concerning, among other things, future financial performance, including changes in net revenue, cash flow and operating expenses, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors, including the impact of changes in national and regional economies, the ability to service and refinance our outstanding debt, successful integration of acquired television stations and digital businesses (including achievement of synergies and cost reductions), pricing fluctuations in local and national advertising, future regulatory actions and conditions in the television stations' operating areas, competition from others in the broadcast television markets, volatility in programming costs, the effects of governmental regulation of broadcasting, industry consolidation, technological developments and major world news events. Nexstar undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this communication might not occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. For more details on factors that could affect these expectations, please see Nexstar’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
