US Consumers Across Multiple Mediums Flocked To X on Election Night

Key Takeaways:

• ST data shows that X was the only news platform out of the studied set that saw DoD increases in US user time spent on election day (11/5) across desktop web, mobile web and mobile app, showcasing how greatly the platform was relied on by consumers to follow election news, results and broader consumer sentiment

  • Conversely, the New York Times (NYT) saw DoD declines in US user time spent across all mediums, potentially driven by consumers shifting their attention to platforms with more detailed and dynamic social features (such as X) or a reliance on traditional forms of media on election night 

• ST data indicates that the WSJ saw the most material increase in engagement on its mobile app on election day, as US user time spent jumped 13% DoD, outpacing peers such as X (+6%) and CNN (+4%). In the same period, NYT (-2%) and Fox News (-7%) saw declines in user time spent

  • While the 2024 US presidential election sparked a noticeable rise in consumer engagement on news-centric mobile apps, ST data indicates that these platforms experienced more substantial engagement spikes on election day 2020 (November 3, 2020). The DoD percentage increases in US user time spent on election day 2024 were lower for CNN, Fox News, X, and NYT by 29ppts, 22ppts, 3ppts and 2ppts, respectively, compared to the DoD increases observed on election day 2020

  • This discrepancy may be attributed to broader app fatigue, along with a unique 2020 environment where lockdown restrictions led to unprecedented mobile device usage and interest in politics

• Per ST data, X (+14%) and Fox News (+34%) exhibited material DoD increases in US desktop web user time spent on election day 2024, while competitors such as CNN (-6%), NYT (-6%) and WSJ (-9%) saw declines. Similarly, both X (+9%) and Fox News (+3%) saw DoD increases in US user time spent on their mobile web platforms on election day, while WSJ (-7%), NYT (-24%) and CNN (-25%) saw declines

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