Mail Online expected to become world's most popular news website

The Mail Online could become the most popular news website in the world as bosses predict 70 million unique users will be reported for May.

In March the Mail Online overtook the Huffington Post to become the world's second most read news website.

Bosses of the parent company, the Daily Mail and General Trust, made the announcement during the release of the company's half-yearly results this morning.

Martin Morgan, chief executive of DMGT said the Mail Online "may go past the New York Times" with its success in May. The New York times is now behind a part-paywall but reported 61,964,000 unique visitors in its pre-paywall days in February.

Web advertising for the Mail Online has seen a doubling in revenue for the first half of the year to 3 April, to £8 million, which equates to less than 10 per cent of the total advertising revenue for the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

DMGT bosses also reported on the success of its iPhone app. The app has been downloaded 280,000 times with 66,000 people using the app on a daily basis. It is used by readers an average of two-and-a-half times a day. The Mail's iPhone app is free or people can opt to pay £4.99 for six months or £8.99 for 12 months for an ad-free version.

Stephen Daintith, DMGT's finance director, said it was "too early to report on tablet figures" after the launch of the Mail's iPad app earlier this month. The iPad app costs £2.39 a month, £6.49 for three months, £10.99 for six months or £19.99 for a year's subscription.

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