In 2025, Chartbeat, one of the world’s leading content intelligence platforms for publishers, reported that global audiences spent the most time engaging with stories on celebrity memorials, health and science, politics, crime and violence, and the aftermath of major disasters such as the DC plane crash and the LA wildfires.
Analyzing 41 million pieces of content, which accounted for 187.2 billion minutes of engaged time, Chartbeat’s global review revealed that the most-read and most-engaged stories of the year spanned a wide range of topics and tones. The top three stories worldwide included:
- Gene Hackman and wife’s deaths called ‘suspicious,’ bodies showed signs of ‘mummification’ by Fox News
- The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans by The Atlantic
- She was ready to have her 15th child, then came the felony charges by The New York Times
FILE – Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
This comes on the heels of 2024, where virtually all top stories were related to the election of now U.S. President Donald Trump.
Other top global stories on Chartbeat include, unsurprisingly, the assassination of Charlie Kirk; the controversy surrounding U.S. television host and commentator Jimmy Kimmel; and renewed attention to the fallout from the Epstein scandal, particularly in relation to Prince Andrew.
At the same time, the death of Hollywood star Diane Keaton captivated audiences, as did speculation over the next Pope ahead of his selection. Together, these results underscore the wide spectrum of stories competing for readers’ attention in an increasingly crowded information landscape. Chartbeat also notes the disruptive role that AI is playing in news and media.
A person holds a U.S. flag during a vigil at Orem City Center Park, after U.S. right-wing activist and commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Domestic News on tovima.com
Taking a look at Greece and at tovima.com, we see many of the same trends evidenced by chartbeat. Readers return again and again for coverage of Greek politics and foreign affairs, the economy, society, and climate disasters. At the same time, however, tovima.com readers have shown a clear and enduring affection for cultural stories, especially those linking Greece to global popular culture and well-known public figures.
From January 1- December 1, 2025, readers particularly gravitated toward articles such as:
- The Film That Put Greece on the Hollywood Map Makes a Glorious Comeback in Cinemas
- Antetokounmpo Family, Sans Giannis, Moving Permanently to Athens
- Greek Seismologist Slams Authorities Over Illegal Construction on Santorini
A view of a closed path in the village of Fira, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
When it comes to tovima.com’s original stories section, readers gobbled up anything they could about Santorini, which was at the forefront of Greek news for months at the start of 2025, when the island shook incessantly on account of seismic activity. Beyond Santorini, readers loved stories about authentic experiences in Greece.
When considering overall engagement time, the most notable stories from 2025 include:
- Santorini Embraces Authenticity to Elevate the Travel Experience
- Santorini on the Edge: How Relentless Earthquakes Are Shaking Minds and Lives
- Follow the Trail to Authentic and Unexpected Greece
Celebrity and travel and tourism aside, eaders spent the most time with reporting that moves beyond the daily news cycle and examines Greece through the lenses of democracy, cost-of-living pressures, migration, demographics and environmental risk. Readers also particularly enjoy hearing from global thought leaders as they explain global trends, and the impact on Greece. In the category of thought leadership interviews, the highest engagement times were recorded by the following pieces:
- America’s Strategic Shift: Martin Wolf on Trump’s Unpredictability and Europe’s Growing Defense Imperative
- For Putin, Ukraine is More Important than Trump
- Trump, Power Plays, and the End of the Global Order: Dr. Robert Kaplan on a New Geopolitical Reality
Image of Robert Kaplan- best selling author of 24 books on foreign affairs and travel
To Vima International Edition also provides content beyond newspaper and online journalism, with its flagship series, the Ambassador Series, available on YouTube. The series reveals the intricacies of top diplomats representing their countries in Greece, as they share in depth information about their countries’ domestic and foreign policy, as well as their views on Greece. Within the series, the episode spotlighting Canadian Ambassador to Greece Anna-Karine Asselin attracted the greatest interest, airing amid escalating U.S.-Canada tensions and rising geopolitical frictions over tariffs.
And last but not least, tovima.com’s Podcast series on Spotify, called “Explaining Greece“, examines the many complex developments within Greece over the year, with listeners particularly engaged by episodes:
- Why is Athens Irked Over a Turkey-Libya Deal to Draw Maritime Zones in the Med?
- An Energy Hub? LNG Imports, Off-shore Drilling & Power Cables
- Ag Sector Protests Across Greece As Viewed by Young, Female Farmer
International News on tovima.com
Alongside its core coverage of Greece, tovima.com has expanded its international reporting to highlight the global nature of the forces impacting Greece. Developments in U.S. and European politics, global markets, technology, and international institutions are not distant headlines- they are factors that directly influence Greece’s economy, diplomacy, and public debate.
An important part of this broader outlook is tovima.com’s publishing partnership with The Wall Street Journal, which gives readers access to authoritative U.S. journalism alongside tovima.com’s original reporting. In 2025, WSJ articles published on tovima.com featured prominently among the site’s most-read international stories, reflecting strong reader interest in global developments.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Three top stories from WSJ, as published on tovima.com, include:
- A Texas Dad Tried to Kayak to His Daughters. The Girls Texted, ‘I Love You.’
- An American Retiree Was Lost Off the Coast of Venezuela. Then Things Went Really Bad
- The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers
Together, this mix of national and international coverage reflects a readership that values both depth at home and perspective abroad journalism that explains not only what is happening, but why it matters.
Rescuers paddle an inflatable boat as they search along a waterway following flash flooding, in Kerrville, Texas, U.S. July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello
As we look ahead to 2026, one thing is clear: the most meaningful measure of journalism today is not speed or volume, but the time readers choose to spend engaging with it. Engagement time reflects trust.
We are grateful to our readers in Greece and around the world for continuing to turn to tovima.com for Greek reporting that matters, for international coverage that informs, and for cultural stories that surprise and inspire. We look forward to continuing the conversation in 2026, with journalism that remains curious, rigorous, and deeply human.
