At least eight of ten users checking news online in India are males. Almost eight of ten engaging in such activity fall in the 19-35 age bracket. These and other key insights have emerged out of one of the largest surveys conducted by JuxtConsult earlier this year among Internet users in India.
The habit of checking news online is indulged in by 63 per cent of online users. Though this is up 2 per cent since last year, this activity still ranks fourth among all online activities of Internet users — after emails, job searches and instant messaging/chatting. Checking sports news follows next with 57 per cent, the survey found.
Yahoo News is the preferred destination for Indian users looking for news on the Internet. Google News (10 per cent), NDTV (9 per cent), Rediff (9 per cent), Indiatimes (8 per cent), Times of India (6 per cent), Aajtak (3 per cent), IBNLive (3 per cent), Eenadu (3 per cent) follow next.
Yahoo News is also the preferred online news source for both males and females, those in the 18-45 age groups, those from SEC A, B and C cities, as well as those living in the North, East and South. Google News is preferred by youngsters in the 13-18 age bracket. those in the 45+ age group prefer NDTV, as do people in transit. Rediff is number one in the West.
Most of India's Internet users, however, do not come from the largest cities. About 28 per cent of these users come from SEC B cities, and a quarter from SEC A cities. Some 19 per cent users are from SEC C towns, and 10 per cent from SEC D towns. Internet users from rural India account for 9 per cent of all users. Slightly more than a third of the country's Internet users are from the South, 31 per cent from the West, a fifth from the North, and 15 per cent from the East. About two-thirds access the Internet from their workplace (office/school/college) among other places.
