FD readers appreciate unconventional articles.

In the first few months of this year, the Dutch news was dominated by topics such as the war in Ukraine, the provincial council elections, nitrogen policy issues, and energy prices. This is partly reflected in the ranking for the most-read FD articles. However, readers of the digital FD appreciate articles with a slightly unconventional angle.

They highly value in-depth articles, interviews, and investigative journalism. For example, there is only one article on Ukraine in the top 25 of most-read articles. And this one is somewhat unconventional compared to the ‘regular news’: it featured an interview with former elite chess player and Putin critic, Garri Kasparov.

Articles on leading figures from the (international) corporate world also attract a lot of traffic. The top 25 most-read articles of the first quarter featured, among others, Barbara Baarsma, Frits Kroymans, Ralph Hamers, Peter Berdowski, and Frits van Eerd. And the ‘typical’ FD articles on the Silicon Valley Bank, UBS’ acquisition of Credit Suisse, and the fluctuating Dutch AEX stock index also attracted many readers. Interviews with presenters such as Jort Kelder and Sander Schimmelpenninck, documentary film maker Marije Meerman, and supermarket heir Jonas Linders also received high praise.

Overall, there is a proportional distribution in the direct traffic between FD.nl and the FD App, e.g., 53% of the readers read the most-read article of the first quarter in the app and 47% via the website.

Interesting reader profile digital FD

The distinctive content available on the digital FD platforms is highly appreciated among visitors with a very interesting profile. Approximately two-thirds are in the AB1 social class, four in five are property owners, and working life holds no secrets for the FD visitor: 72% works at least 32 hours per week. Finally, six in ten FD visitors earn more than the median income.