Case Study: MediaNews Group achieves 20–50% RPM lift and major engagement gains with Outbrain Smartfeed

MediaNews Group Opens New Revenue Streams with Outbrain Smartfeed

MediaNews Group, publisher of regional titles such as The Denver Post, The Mercury News and The Orange County Register, sought to deepen reader engagement across its sites and apps to increase customer lifetime value, boost internal recirculation and grow revenue (RPM).

By implementing Outbrain Smartfeed—an endless, personalized mix of paid and organic content with features like a desktop comments section and a mobile carousel—readers stayed longer and engaged more. After launch, Outbrain referrals showed a 34% lower bounce rate and 158% longer session duration; mobile CTRs rose 40%+ for paid and 60%+ for organic, desktop paid CTRs rose 30–60% (organic 40–100%), and RPMs increased by 20–50% on desktop and ~30% on mobile, driving meaningful revenue gains.

MediaNews Group

Brian Vigil

Senior Director Of Product