US Media Publications Ranking April 2017, Drudge Report beats Google, CNN & Washington Post!

by Daniel Sevitt 

The latest SimilarWeb US Media Publications ranking is here!

April showers were not the only things falling this month as the top 100 websites received 3.9% fewer total pageviews compared to March 2017. Within the heavily concentrated upper tier there was little movement with the top five websites attracting 35% of all traffic to the top 100 in April 2017.

Notable changes in SimilarWeb Ranking

Four new websites entered the top 100 in April this year: avclub.com, jezebel.com, bostonglobe.com and theblaze.com. Correspondingly, these were the websites that left the top 100: independent.co.uk, newyorker.com, realclearpolitics.com and vogue.com.

The Drudge report came in third, beating Google, Cnn & Washington Post.

It was a good month for the Fusion Media Group as seven of its websites saw an increase in the rankings. The Onion’s sister publication, avclub.com, saw the largest increase jumping 69 positions from 119 to 50 thanks to drastic increase in engagement (pages/visit) that almost tripled compared to the previous month (174% growth in desktop pages/visit and 47% increase in mobile web pages/visit). The article named “What’s the worst movie you ever saw in the theatre?” was by far the most popular content on the website in April.

Financial news and services website thestreet.com was the second biggest winner in April moving up 17 places similarly due to increased engagement with improved pages per visit. The most search stock for the website in April was Rolls Royce.

It was also a great month for refinery29.com which closed the month 16 places higher than in March. Once again the driving force behind this increase was engagement, with the number of desktop pages per visit improving from 6.01 to 7.08. The most viewed article on the site for April was their rundown of new releases for Netflix, “Everything Coming To Netflix In May“.

Top Non-Branded Keywords

While PotUS continues to be a key draw for news sites, April was a busy month with stories about United Airlines, Bill O’Reilly and the ill-fated Fyre Festival grabbing the public’s attention. Here are the top ten non-branded keywords driving traffic to US media publications in April 2017:

1. trump
2. united airlines
3. north korea
4. donald trump
5. syria
6. aaron hernandez
7. bill o’reilly
8. fyre festival
9. united
10. russia

Based on the combination of desktop and website traffic in April 2017, the top 100 media publications ranking looks like this:

US Media Publications by Pageviews, April 2017

Domains	Rank in April 2017	Rank in March 2017		Monthly Change	Combined Pageviews
msn.com	1	1		0	1764.4 M
espn.com	2	2		0	1393.4 M
drudgereport.com	3	3		0	1248.2 M
news.google.com	4	4		0	1165.8 M
cnn.com	5	6		1	841.0 M
finance.yahoo.com	6	5		-1	827.9 M
sports.yahoo.com	7	7		0	741.4 M
foxnews.com	8	8		0	671.4 M
nytimes.com	9	9		0	538.0 M
buzzfeed.com	10	11		1	481.4 M
washingtonpost.com	11	10		-1	446.1 M
huffingtonpost.com	12	12		0	351.4 M
businessinsider.com	13	13		0	321.5 M
cnet.com	14	14		0	260.1 M
bbc.com	15	16		1	259.0 M
usatoday.com	16	15		-1	251.0 M
dailymail.co.uk	17	17		0	235.6 M
nbcnews.com	18	19		1	219.8 M
forbes.com	19	18		-1	218.2 M
news.yahoo.com	20	32		12	165.2 M
bloomberg.com	21	22		1	156.3 M
popsugar.com	22	28		6	144.3 M
sfgate.com	23	26		3	142.1 M
pitchfork.com	24	25		1	139.0 M
politico.com	25	21		-4	131.0 M
ksl.com	26	33		7	129.8 M
nydailynews.com	27	30		3	123.3 M
seekingalpha.com	28	24		-4	118.7 M
cbssports.com	29	20		-9	118.6 M
liveleak.com	30	38		8	118.2 M
theguardian.com	31	27		-4	116.4 M
cbsnews.com	32	31		-1	114.6 M
nypost.com	33	34		1	113.2 M
breitbart.com	34	23		-11	110.8 M
people.com	35	37		2	107.3 M
npr.org	36	29		-7	107.1 M
tmz.com	37	40		3	106.9 M
abcnews.go.com	38	39		1	104.4 M
gizmodo.com	39	43		4	98.3 M
wsj.com	40	35		-5	97.9 M
latimes.com	41	44		3	93.1 M
usnews.com	42	42		0	92.9 M
centurylink.net	43	45		2	91.6 M
slate.com	44	41		-3	83.2 M
bleacherreport.com	45	52		7	80.6 M
reuters.com	46	49		3	80.6 M
cnbc.com	47	36		-11	79.1 M
rollingstone.com	48	48		0	77.6 M
marketwatch.com	49	47		-2	74.9 M
avclub.com	50	119		69	73.8 M
lifehacker.com	51	55		4	72.2 M
thehill.com	52	46		-6	71.8 M
espncricinfo.com	53	68		15	69.7 M
pcmag.com	54	69		15	67.9 M
complex.com	55	63		8	67.1 M
zerohedge.com	56	53		-3	66.4 M
wenxuecity.com	57	50		-7	65.1 M
telegraph.co.uk	58	64		6	65.0 M
delish.com	59	56		-3	62.8 M
refinery29.com	60	76		16	61.1 M
chron.com	61	59		-2	61.0 M
cracked.com	62	60		-2	60.3 M
dailykos.com	63	51		-12	59.6 M
mashable.com	64	54		-10	59.4 M
nbcsports.com	65	67		2	59.4 M
thechive.com	66	62		-4	58.5 M
thedailybeast.com	67	58		-9	58.2 M
thestreet.com	68	85		17	53.7 M
chicagotribune.com	69	79		10	53.6 M
caranddriver.com	70	70		0	53.6 M
bbc.co.uk	71	80		9	53.3 M
tomshardware.com	72	73		1	53.0 M
littlethings.com	73	77		4	52.4 M
rotoworld.com	74	66		-8	52.4 M
arstechnica.com	75	91		16	52.1 M
deadspin.com	76	90		14	52.1 M
time.com	77	78		1	51.8 M
theatlantic.com	78	75		-3	51.8 M
msnbc.com	79	57		-22	51.3 M
foxsports.com	80	74		-6	50.2 M
scout.com	81	72		-9	49.9 M
rawstory.com	82	81		-1	48.7 M
jalopnik.com	83	98		15	48.4 M
wired.com	84	71		-13	48.4 M
digitaltrends.com	85	83		-2	48.3 M
hollywoodreporter.com	86	89		3	48.2 M
si.com	87	65		-22	46.7 M
nationalgeographic.com	88	84		-4	46.5 M
theverge.com	89	97		8	46.4 M
univision.com	90	82		-8	46.3 M
ibtimes.co.uk	91	61		-30	45.5 M
health.com	92	94		2	44.1 M
bhg.com	93	95		2	43.0 M
eonline.com	94	93		-1	42.9 M
jezebel.com	95	103		8	42.8 M
vice.com	96	88		-8	42.6 M
kotaku.com	97	99		2	42.3 M
tomsguide.com	98	96		-2	42.0 M
bostonglobe.com	99	107		8	41.6 M
theblaze.com	100	102		2	41.0 M

Roger Moore, James Bond Star, Dies at 89

by Carmel Dagan

Roger Moore, the handsome English actor who appeared in seven films as James Bond — the most of any Bond actor — and as Simon Templar on “The Saint” TV series, has died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer. He was 89.

His family issued an announcement on Twitter: “It is with the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.”

Moore appeared in more official Bond pics than his friend Sean Connery over a longer period of time, and while Connery’s fans were fiercely loyal, polls showed that many others favored Moore’s lighter, more humorous take on 007.

In 1972, Moore was asked to join Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He took on the mantle of 007 for 1973’s “Live and Let Die,” which would lead to six more turns as England’s top spy. In addition to reviving the franchise at the B.O. after waning prospects at the end of Connery’s run, the new James Bond relied on more humor in stories that cranked up the camp.

Moore as Bond began to shake off the Connery comparisons and pick up speed after 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” launched the series into super-blockbuster status, raking in $185.4 million worldwide. Next up, the outer space-traveling “Moonraker” (1979) cumed $202 million and 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” took $194 million.

His next roles were in “Octopussy” (1983) and 1985’s “A View to a Kill,” in which he surrendered his license to kill.

The young actor came to the U.S. in 1953. MGM signed him to a contract and he received supporting work on several pictures. He played a tennis pro in 1954’s “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” with Elizabeth Taylor. The role was one of several in the ’50s that hinged on his tall, athletic good looks. 

He would often play royalty or military characters.

Moore had his first taste of smallscreen stardom from 1956-58 as the lead, Sir Winfred, in ITV’s “Ivanhoe.” While still drawing film roles, he would continue to star in TV programs, following “Ivanhoe” with short-lived ABC Western “The Alaskans” and replacing James Garner in “Maverick” in 1960-61 (Moore played British cousin Beau Maverick). By the time he arrived on “Maverick,” its popularity was waning, but Moore won over the cast and crew with his good humor and charm, on-set qualities for which the actor would be known throughout his career.

In 1962, Moore began playing one of the roles that would define his celebrity, dashing thief Simon Templar, who would steal from rich villains each week on “The Saint.” The show ran 118 episodes, transitioning from B&W to color and finally wrapping in 1969. The British skein initially ran in syndication in the States but was part of NBC’s primetime schedule from 1967-69.

Stories would feature exotic locales, beautiful women and plenty of action, elements shared with the bigscreen tales about a certain British spy of the era. Ironically, it was the “Saint” contract that prevented Moore from competing for the role of 007 when Sean Connery was cast in 1962’s “Dr. No.”

Moore returned to the big screen with a pair of forgettable thrillers in ’69 and ’70. Despite having sworn off TV, he was subsequently lured back for “The Persuaders.” The show, which featured Moore and Tony Curtis as millionaire playboy crime-fighters, ran only one season; it was successful in Europe but failed in its run on ABC in the U.S.

During his 13 years as 007, Moore landed feature roles in other action films, but none that would compete with the Bond franchise. Movies from that period include 1978’s “The Wild Geese,” with Richard Burton and Richard Harris, and 1980’s “ffolkes” with James Mason and David Hedison, who played CIA agent Felix Leiter in “Live and Let Die.”

The actor took great fun in skewering his slick image offscreen and on-, including appearances in “Cannonball Run” and TV’s “The Muppet Show,” in which he struck out with Miss Piggy; in the 2002 comedy “Boat Trip,” he played a flamboyant homosexual with some Bond-like elements, and in 2004 he lent his voice to animated short “The Fly Who Loved Me.”

Trump Controversies Making Waves in Cannes

by Brent Lang

Senior Film and Media Editor @BrentALang

At premieres, beach parties, wine-soaked dinners and business meetings, the topic du jour at this year’s Cannes Film Festival: Trump. Buyers and sellers, studios executives and stars confess they’re glued to their smartphones, waiting for email alerts and updates on the latest White House scandal.

“I’m obsessed with it,” said Stuart Ford, CEO of sales and production company IM Global. “The first thing I do in the morning is check the news. The last thing I do at night is check the news.”

Some of the films searching for distribution along the Croisette grapple directly or indirectly with Trump and the populism that fueled his rise. Buyers are circling “Promised Land,” a documentary by Eugene Jarecki that centers on a cross-country trip against the backdrop of the 2016 presidential election. Michael Moore also Skyped in for a talk with Harvey and Bob Weinstein on Friday to whet buyers appetites for “11/9,” an anti-Trump documentary.

Even films that don’t have an explicit connection to Trump allude to his stormy presidency. Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski introduced “Pope Francis: A Man of Word,” a documentary about the Catholic leader, by saying, “At a time when our political leaders seem to be doing little actual leading, we have to look to others for guidance.” Trump was not mentioned by name, but it was clear whom he was talking about.

Todd Haynes, director of “Wonderstruck,” which premiered at the festival, said he had an “obsessive compulsion” about staying aware.

“It’s almost a weird way of relaxing,” he said. “I don’t know how that’s the case, but I just have to turn it on. I just have to know what’s happening and hear it…These are monumental times, dangerous times, that I think we’re in.”

The web has changed things for the news-obsessed, making it easier to stay connected.

“I see alerts that pop up in my phone,” said Tom Bernard, co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics. 

“Much better than the old days here before the internet. Then you had to wait until the Herald Tribune hit the newsstand and get the news a day late.”

There’s certainly a lot to digest. A week that started with the revelation that President Donald Trump had revealed classified information in a meeting with Russian diplomats in the Oval Office has hurtled towards its conclusion at a dizzying pace, with new bombshells hitting within hours of each other. Each day has has brought fresh fodder for the cycle — from reports that Trump tried to convince fired FBI chief James Comey to drop an investigation into ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Trump’s possible ties to Russia.

With a six-hour time difference between the French Riviera and Washington, D.C., the eye of the scandal, it can be hard to know what’s being missed. That’s led to frustration on the part of some news-watchers, and lots of late nights of scrawling through websites or watching CNN to try to learn the latest development.

“It is a bit unsettling to feel like I don’t know what is happening, but know that seemingly big and important things are happening,” said Mimi Steinbauer, president and CEO of Radiant Films Intl.

“I’m watching Rachel Maddow at some point before I go to bed or in the morning to get caught up,” she added.

At cocktail parties, the hot dish isn’t about what films are selling, but what’s the latest with Comey, Flynn, and the other president’s men whose names keep bubbling up. Talk of Trump and his travails has inevitably seeped into press conferences and presentations. Jake Gyllenhaal used the “Okja” premiere to declare his support for the special prosecutor. “I’m very excited about the appointment of Robert Mueller,” he told journalists at an event that is usually more about recounting on-set antics than Beltway happenings.

Some festivalgoers are taking advantage of the geographic remove to tune out the 24/7 news cycle and cable news bloviating.

“Jet lag and the time difference help us stay away, at least for a beat, from the hourly and daily updates, which we are constantly aware of at home,” said Uri Singer, president of Passage Pictures.

Most of the executives feeling the need to get their Trump news fix are Americans, bewildered or alarmed by the unorthodox president. For foreigners, Trump’s antics are familiar, reminiscent of strongmen leaders or banana republic despots.

“This is a typical politician of the contemporary world: populistic and irresponsible. But we know this kind of politician very well,” Alexander Rodnyansky, the producer of the Russian film 
“Loveless,” which plays in the Cannes competition.

When he meets Americans, Rodnyansky, familiar with life under Vladimir Putin, has a message.

“‘Welcome to our world,” he tells them.

Leo Barraclough and Stewart Clarke contributed to this report.

 

Cord-cutting spikes fivefold in cable TV’s worst quarter ever

 
Cable's day of reckoning has come. With all the major cable and satellite companies having reported their quarterly numbers, analyst firm MoffettNathanson put together a new cord-cutting report, and things are bad. Pay-TV providers lost an estimated 762,000 pay-TV subscribers over the first three months of this year—five times more than they lost during the same period last year. To make matters worse, Q1 has historically been a strong season for pay TV. 

"For the better part of 15 years, pundits have predicted that cord-cutting was the future," an apocalyptic Craig Moffett wrote. "Well, the future has arrived."

As I wrote last week, Comcast was the only major provider to buck the trend, but judging by the way things look, that winning streak won't last.

Cannes on Alert: Millions Invested to Thwart Terror Attacks at Festival

Camus/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent

Set to unspool just 10 days after France’s fateful presidential election, the Cannes Film Festival is ramping up security measures more than ever before.

The city is spending millions to bolster security as plans are being finalized for the world’s biggest festival, starting May 17, which is expecting stars like Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Kristen Stewart, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and director Sofia Coppola.

But the question, for many festgoers, is how safe is Cannes going to be this year?

Between high-profile thieves, last year’s terror attack in Nice, rising far-right politics, and ongoing tensions with the local French-Arab community, the French Riviera has gone through a rough patch over the past few years. The pressure-cooker atmosphere has led the city of Cannes, which hosts numerous industry events such as Mipcom, MipTV, and the Cannes Lions, to ramp up its security standards to make international visitors feel secure.

The upcoming 70th edition will be the first Cannes Film Festival since the tragic attack in Nice when an Islam terrorist ran a cargo truck through a crowd watching fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 85 people, just 18 miles away from Cannes. The Nice attack took place on the Promenade des Anglais, which runs alongside the beach, like the Croisette in Cannes.

Since the Nice attack last July, the region has been more on edge than ever. The French Riviera has become a stronghold of the far right, which has stirred tensions with the French-Arab population in the region. Controversial presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who is running against Emmanuel Macron, gathered 30% of votes in the region, the country’s highest score for Le Pen’s political party, the Front National.

Cannes mayor David Lisnard, who commissioned an audit from Israeli counter-terrorism expert 
Nitzan Nuriel following the Paris attacks in November 2015, has taken strong measures to prevent a similar truck attack on the Croisette. Substantial barriers, most in the form of huge concrete planters, were installed along the sidewalk which leads to the Palais, the headquarters for most Cannes premieres and festivities.

The city will also spend $6 million to place automatic retractable bollards at every entry point to the town, said Yves Darros, who heads up Cannes police.

After Nuriel’s report, the city increased maritime surveillance of Cannes bay and the harbor. But that didn’t stop a French internet company from mounting a poorly-handled stunt last year during the festival. Guests at the luxurious Hôtel du Cap a few miles outside of Cannes were shaken when a raft full of men in matching helmets and military-style utility vests showed up at the hotel’s dock faking a terrorist attack.

Despite having some of France’s tightest security standards, Cannes has become notorious for its high-profile heists. In 2015, as much as $19 million worth of jewelry and watches were stolen from Cartier boutiques in in the city just before the festival. Aiming to prevent such thefts, the number of surveillance cameras was increased from 400 to 550 across the city’s tourist and festival venues in the last two years.

Cannes has also recruited a wide network of 500 local volunteers plus 80 “vigilant neighbors” who 
are in charge of patrolling across the city to watch out for suspicious activity and report it to authorities.

Last year, Cannes authorities organized a simulated raid involving fake bombs in the run-up to the festival in order to prepare for a potential attack. This year, it is believed that a similar event was organized, but details of the operation have been kept under wraps. Authorities have indeed been extremely tight-lipped about revealing any details of the preparations for obvious security reasons, as well as political ones, since the presidential and legislative elections are coming up.

Darros said festival organizers have been working hand in hand with various authorities at local and regional levels to ensure top-level security in and around the Palais.

“I’ve been doing the festival for 35 years and the security has always been great, but this year it will reach new heights,” said Darros, who also pointed out that, like last year, daily meetings with authorities and security staff will be held during the fest in order to adjust the level of security needed.

A top American sales agent with offices on the Croisette said, “We have been talking internally about measures to take if anything happens — from communicating with each other right away to make sure everyone is safe, to securing the office if needed.”

Cecile Gaget, head of international co-production and distribution at Gaumont, said she was concerned when she arrived in Cannes last year, but felt more secure when she saw snipers around the Palais from the rooftop of her office.

Some stars will arrive with their own security staff, who would have to be cleared by Cannes authorities and the festival staff. When it comes bodyguards bringing their own guns on the Croisette, they would need to be registered not only by the regional prefecture, but also by France’s interior ministry, according to a source.

France, which has been under a State of Emergency since the Paris attacks of November 2015, was just listed in the travel alert issued by the U.S. State Department on Monday, which mentioned the continued threat of terrorist attacks throughout Europe.

Citing recent attacks in France, Russia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the U.S. State Department said ISIS and al Qaeda “have the ability to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe.”

#FireColbert Twitter campaign gains steam after Stephen Colbert's profane Donald Trump takedown

By Sasha Savitsky
#FireColbert is on fire.

Talk show host Stephen Colbert is taking serious heat on social media for a vulgar joke he made about President Donald Trump that many fans are calling "homophobic."

The "Late Show" star sounded off on Trump during his opening monologue Monday night, criticizing Trump for abruptly ending an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson.

"Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine," Colbert said during his profranity-laced rant, which was bleeped during the telecast. "You have more people marching against you than cancer. 

You talk like a sign language gorilla that got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c--k holster."

Fans immediately took issue with Colbert's final joke, with some calling the comedian homophobic, and demanding CBS fire him.

A rep for CBS and "Late Show" did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.

This isn't the first time viewers have gone on social media demanding Colbert's ouster. In 2014, a #CancelColbert hashtag was started after the host (on Comedy Central with "The Colbert Report" at that point) joked "I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever," in a sketch about Washington Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder's pro-Native American charity.

The hashtag campaign began when the show's Twitter account posted the joke without the context.
Colbert has seen a ratings resurgence since he started regularly roasting the president. After languishing in second place since he took over "The Late Show" for David Letterman, his show has been the No. 1 talk show on late night TV for 13 weeks running.