Most Washington Post cancelers already held another national-news subscription
Share of direct-channel cancelers classified by competitor timing across the October–November 2024 and July–December 2025 cohorts; ranges span both cohorts
Share of cancelers
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. October–November 2024 cancelers n=770; July–December 2025 cancelers n=452. Competitor receipts were dated strictly before or after each cancellation. Analysis completed August 17, 2026.
Chart data
| Series | Share of cancelers |
|---|---|
| Rival already held before cancellation | 67–70% |
| No observed rival before or after | 23–25% |
| Rival added only after cancellation | 5–10% |
Did holding another news subscription distinguish Washington Post cancelers?
No. Among 2,636 retained Washington Post subscribers, 73.1% held another national-news subscription and 63.2% held The New York Times. Those rates were at least as high as the pre-existing rival rates among cancelers, indicating that news-subscription multi-homing was common across the base rather than a behavior unique to people who canceled.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed established U.S. e-receipt panelists with a direct Washington Post active signal followed by an explicit cancellation in October–November 2024 (n=770) or July–December 2025 (n=452), plus 2,636 retained subscribers. We classified nine national-news competitor receipts strictly before or after each first cancellation. Pre-existing means observed before; new rival means only after; no rival means neither. App-store cancellations were excluded. Unseen receipts can overstate the no-rival group, making 23–25% an upper bound. Post-cancel additions are correctly ordered but not causal, and the small switch cells are directional.