RANKED, a digital news ranking report by SquirrelPR tracked 80 of Nigeria’s most influential digital news platforms from January to December 2023 and found that they attracted 1.6 billion visits within the period.

RANKED by SquirrelPR was launched in Q1, 2023 to provide media relations practitioners in Nigeria with deeper insights into the performance of Nigeria’s digital news platforms.

The digital news platforms covered in the report cut across four major categories including News & Current Affairs, Business & Finance, Technology & Startups, and Entertainment & Lifestyle.

The News & Current Affairs accounted for 83% of the total visits, with over 1.3 billion visits, while Entertainment & Lifestyle – 166 million, Business & Finance – 74.6 million, and Technology and Startups – 34.6 million accounted for 10%, 5% and 2% of the total visits respectively.

The report also showed that the top five leaders in the News & Current Affairs category include Legit, Punch Online, Vanguard Online, Daily Post, and Opera News App.

In the Entertainment & Lifestyle category, the leaders include Linda Ikeji’s Blog, Naijaloaded, Notjustok.com, Naijapals, and Bella Naija.

In the Business & Finance category, Business Insider Africa, Nairametrics, BusinessDay, Brandspur, and MSME Africa top the chart, while Techcabal, NaijaKnowHow, Gadget Stripe, Technext, and Techpoint Africa attracted the most eyeballs in the Technology and Startup category.

The report also highlighted the rising stars, which include media platforms with less than 10 million quarterly volume under the News and Current Affairs category that made impressive progress within the year under review. These platforms include Okay.ng, Truetells Nigeria, Eagles Path, PM Express, Business Hallmark, News Online NG, Newsdirect.ng, New Telegraph Online, and Blueprint Online.

Commenting on the report, the Co-founder of SquirrelPR, James Ezechukwu said, “I am immensely proud to see the impact of our RANKED report on the Nigerian digital news landscape. The comprehensive analysis provided by RANKED offers invaluable insights for media relations practitioners, enabling them to make informed decisions in a dynamic and competitive environment.

“The significant findings of the report underscore the vital role played by digital news platforms in shaping public discourse and influencing consumer behaviour across various sectors. With 1.6 billion visits recorded within the year, it is evident that these platforms wield considerable influence and reach a vast audience.”

Speaking further, he noted that “the breakdown of visitation numbers across different categories highlights the diverse interests of digital news consumers, with News & Current Affairs emerging as the dominant category, followed by Entertainment & Lifestyle, Business & Finance, and Technology and Startups. Moreover, the identification of top leaders and rising stars within each category provides valuable benchmarks for media practitioners to gauge performance and explore collaboration opportunities.”

He added, “Overall, the RANKED report serves as a vital tool for navigating the complexities of the digital news landscape, empowering stakeholders to optimize their strategies and maximize their impact in the ever-evolving media landscape.”

Beyond providing unfettered access to Africa’s most credible newsrooms and journalists, RANKED is part of a strategic initiative by SquirrelPR to provide deeper, invaluable, and measurable tools needed by communication professionals to drive targeted media placement campaigns that deliver on marketing objectives.