Brandwave

How popular isThe Spinoff?

In September 2026, people searched for The Spinoff by name about 34,000 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 1.1% of all New Zealand news publisher searches, placing The Spinoff seventh out of 11 publishers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about news publishers, The Spinoff appeared in three of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the 11.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

The Spinoff is the seventh most searched of 11 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. NZ HeraldShare of searches 55.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. RNZShare of searches 18.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. 1NewsShare of searches 13.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. Otago Daily TimesShare of searches 7.5%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 10th
  5. The SpinoffShare of searches 1.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

+6 more

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Top news publishers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Spinoff was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. The Spinoff is the fifth most recommended of the 11.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. RNZ1st
  2. Stuff2nd
  3. NZ Herald3rd
  4. 1News4th
  5. The Spinoff5th
  6. Newsroom6th
  7. The Press7th
  8. BusinessDesk8th
  9. interest.co.nz9th
  10. Otago Daily Times10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • RNZ4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • 1News4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Stuff4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • NZ Herald3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • The Spinoff3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Newsroom2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • BusinessDesk2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Otago Daily Times1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Press1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • interest.co.nz1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about news publishers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which news publishers compete with The Spinoff?

The Spinoff against news publishers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for NZ Herald, RNZ, 1News, Otago Daily Times, The Press, The Spinoff. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNZ HeraldRNZ1NewsOtago Daily TimesThe Pressinterest.co.nzThe SpinoffThe PostNewsroomBusinessDeskStuff
Oct 202531.6%8.6%6.2%5%1.2%0.56%0.51%0.4%0.32%0.05%45.6%
Nov 202534%8.3%6.7%4.6%1.1%0.6%0.51%0.44%0.34%0.07%43.3%
Dec 202534.2%8.3%6.8%4.6%1.1%0.48%0.45%0.36%0.26%0.05%43.4%
Jan 202630.9%9%7.3%4.1%0.97%0.42%0.37%0.32%0.31%0.04%46.3%
Feb 202630.5%8.8%7.2%4.8%1.2%0.51%0.44%0.39%0.27%0.06%45.8%
Mar 202630.6%8.9%7.3%4.1%0.97%0.52%0.49%0.37%0.37%0.05%46.4%
Apr 202630.6%9%7.3%4%0.97%0.51%0.45%0.32%0.25%0.05%46.5%
May 202628%9.2%6.6%4.5%1.1%0.47%0.54%0.35%0.28%0.06%49%
Jun 202628.2%8.2%6.7%4.5%1.1%0.48%0.5%0.41%0.28%0.06%49.6%
Jul 202631%8.5%6.1%4.3%1%0.45%0.41%0.33%0.26%0.07%47.6%
Aug 202630.8%8.5%6.4%4.2%1.2%0.44%0.56%0.38%0.31%0.07%47.2%
Sep 202655.4%18.2%13.1%7.5%2.1%1.1%1.1%0.78%0.68%0.12%—

  1. 1.NZ Herald

    55.4%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 1.7M estimated branded searches, -16.4% vs prior month. Share +24.6 points.

  2. 2.RNZ

    18.2%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 573K estimated branded searches, -0.19% vs prior month. Share +9.7 points.

  3. 3.1News

    13.1%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 412K estimated branded searches, -4.7% vs prior month. Share +6.7 points.

  4. 4.Otago Daily Times

    7.5%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 235K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share +3.2 points.

  5. 5.The Press

    2.1%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 66.7K estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  6. 6.interest.co.nz

    1.1%

    Moved from 8th to 6th. 36K estimated branded searches, +20% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  7. 7.The Spinoff

    1.1%

    Held 7th. 34K estimated branded searches, -10.9% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  8. 8.The Post

    0.78%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 24.7K estimated branded searches, -5% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  9. 9.Newsroom

    0.68%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 21.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  10. 10.BusinessDesk

    0.12%

    Moved from 11th to 10th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -19.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. —.Stuff

    —

    Not measured this month. — estimated branded searches, — vs prior month. Share —.

Compare popularity between The Spinoff and its closest rivals

Every comparison with The Spinoff

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for The Spinoff changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for The Spinoff in New Zealand held steady at 34K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Spinoff’s share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand increased from 0.51% to 1.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Spinoff rose from 8th to 7th among news publishers in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand news publishers in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, interest.co.nz overtook The Spinoff to rank 6th among news publishers in New Zealand, with 1.1% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, NZ Herald gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 30.8% to 55.4%.

  3. In September 2026, RNZ gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 8.5% to 18.2%.

  4. In September 2026, 1News gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 6.4% to 13.1%.

  5. In September 2026, Otago Daily Times gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 4.2% to 7.5%.

  6. In September 2026, The Press gained share of searches among news publishers in New Zealand, from 1.2% to 2.1%.

How are The Spinoff’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Spinoff’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • spinoff
  • spinoff news
  • The Spinoff
  • thespinoff

Do you work for The Spinoff? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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