New York Times Gains Most Digital Subscribers Since 2011 in Trump Era

CEO Mark Thompson during an analyst call hit out at Donald Trump for tweeting about "dwindling" subscriber and audience bases: "Not so much, Mr. President."

The New York Times has reported its best quarter in adding digital subscriptions since launching its paid model.

The paper said Thursday that it gained 276,000 new subscribers during the fourth quarter, the largest three-month rise since 2011.

Mark Thompson, president and CEO of the New York Times Co., during an analyst call took a shot at U.S. President Donald Trump for recently tweeting that his paper's subscriber and audience base was "dwindling."

"Not so much, Mr. President. We had spectacular audiences in the quarter," Thompson told analysts. He added Trump might have been pointing to a post-election lull in the subscriber uptick at The New York Times after the presidential campaign.

"If so, wrong again. We're continuing to see extraordinary numbers of new digital subscribers," Thompson said. He added many of the new digital subscribers signed up after the campaign ended, coming midway through the most recent financial quarter.

The latest subscriber additions follow President Trump's continuing to take shots at the newspaper's coverage of his administration, an assault that started with the presidential campaign last year. Trump said many times that the paper, which has existed since 1851, is "failing."

Thompson said an "activist" White House meant recent rises in digital subscribers was likely to be sustained for some time. "There's plenty of kinetic energy in the news cycle, and it's likely to continue for many years," he said.

"As of today, we have passed the 3 million paid subscription mark (print and digital), a significant milestone," Thompson said earlier in a statement.