USA Today reclaimed the top spot in total daily newspaper circulation, thanks in large part to a rule that changes how circulation is counted in the digital age.
The paper’s five-day average circulation jumped 68 percent to 2,876,586 in the six-month period ended September, according to the latest report from the Alliance for Audited Media.
The gain was largely due to a new rule that allows papers to count free digital editions delivered via mobile phones and tablets if they are accessed at least once a month.
“The increase is largely from someone actually coming to the site from mobile or a tablet app,” said Publisher Larry Kramer. “Digital been our biggest area of concentration over the past year.”
About 130,000 of the gain comes from a promotion with daily digital users through the Hilton Hotel chain.