USA TODAY Play-only subscribers were less likely than news-only subscribers to also pay The New York Times
Share with a New York Times receipt during the 24 months through mid-August 2026
Share also paying The New York Times
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. USA TODAY Play-only cohort n=186; USA TODAY news-only cohort n=785. The Play-only result is directional because the cohort is modest.
Chart data
| Series | Share also paying The New York Times |
|---|---|
| USA TODAY news only | 24.2% |
| USA TODAY Play only | 14.5% |
How often did the same subscriber hold both USA TODAY products?
Only 47 of 1,123 USA TODAY subscribers, or 4.2%, held both a news subscription and USA TODAY Play, Crossword+, or Puzzles during the measured period. That low overlap shows that the two paid products had reached largely separate observed subscriber groups by mid-August 2026.
Does the lower New York Times overlap prove that USA TODAY Play brought Gannett new customers?
No. The comparison shows that USA TODAY Play-only subscribers had a different pattern of paid-news subscriptions from news-only subscribers. It does not establish whether Play customers were new to Gannett, whether games improved news retention, or how the overlap may change as the newer product matures.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed YipitData’s U.S. e-receipt panel over the 24 months through mid-August 2026. USA TODAY news subscriptions included direct, Apple, and Google receipts for its news products. Games included USA TODAY Play, Crossword+, and Puzzles; merchandise matches were excluded. Among 1,123 USA TODAY subscribers who remained observable in the panel, 785 held news only, 186 held games only, and 47 held both. We measured whether each group also had a New York Times subscription receipt in the same window. The games-only result is directional, and same-window overlap does not establish sequence, acquisition, retention, or causation.