As the United States – and the entire world abroad – holds its collective breath in anticipation of a deal – or no deal – to raise the US debt ceiling, mobile traffic to prominent US-based news websites is surging.
CNN, CNBC, and webpages for all the major network news pages are seeing a traffic surge spurred by widespread public curiosity and fear.
“Perhaps it can be said that our political and economic brinkmanship in Washington is good for only one thing,” business analyst Mike Randazzo tells Mobile Marketing Watch. “And that’s the mobile news business.”
“Access to mobile news will be critical in the coming days and through the August 2nd deadline,” Randazzo adds, referencing the supposed date by which the US will begin defaulting on debt payments should lawmakers and the White House fail to reach consensus on a particular course of action in the face of crisis.”
“I think mobile payment and financial website will also see increased traffic,” Randazzo notes, citing economic concern and fear of lost investment revenue within embattled stock portfolios that some analysts believe would be hammered in the event of a US debt default.
“There is no doubt about this being a political showdown first and foremost,” Randazzo says, “but the consequences of failed consensus would be severe. And I think millions of people will use their mobile devices to monitor every step in this currently deadlocked political tango that has the world at large holding its breath.”
