On Melbourne Cup day, News Corp Australia’s sites Racenet.com.au and Punters.com.au saw a jump in users of 10 per cent year-on-year.
Racenet generated 4.1 million page views, up 28.1 per cent on last year and Punters delivered 1.96 million page views, up 5.9 per cent year-on-year. Across both sites, average engagement also grew led by Racenet up 25.2 per cent year-on-year, reaching a more active participant in the Melbourne Cup.
News Corp Australia’s director news perform Adam Brett said: “These results indicate a shift in the way Australians are engaging with iconic sporting events like the Melbourne Cup. For example, Channel 10’s live broadcast of the Cup drew 1.11 million metro viewers, and Racenet and Punters had their highest ever numbers on Cup day with 1.138 million users across the sites. This is building on the growing prevalence of specialist sites acting as second screens for consumers.
“We’re seeing audiences watching live sport turning to sites like ours more and more to get key information, tips and latest news. Racenet and Punters are a strong companion to live racing broadcasts and we expect it to be a growing trend in audience engagement.”
News Corp Australia’s editorial director for racing and wagering, Daniel Sankey, said Racenet and Punters’ reinvigorated live coverage across the Spring Carnival was a major drawcard for readers.
“With the latest news, betting trends, tips and results not just from Flemington, but also from the Big Dance meeting at Randwick, our live blogs were the perfect tool for punters as they strove to find a winner on Melbourne Cup Day,” Sankey said.
“We delivered big audiences not just for Melbourne Cup Day, but right across the main Spring carnival race days, proving yet again that our websites are the go-to second screen experience for Australian horse racing enthusiasts.”
Brett said the sites had also increased video and podcast content, doubling their output over the past two years.
“Across our largely mobile and app audience we had 900,000 video views over Melbourne Cup week, up 180 per cent from last year, and our special Melbourne Cup edition of the Hold All Tickets podcast had 60,000* listens,” said Brett.
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Top Image: Adam Brett