The New Daily quadrupled its monthly online audience over the past 12 months, moving it an incredible 25 places up the “league ladder” of Australian news websites to be just outside the top 20, according to just-published data.

More than 1.1 million people visited The New Daily at least once in October, making it the 21st biggest news site in the country, according to the latest Nielsen Digital Ratings (monthly) of the country’s top 150 news sites.

It means The New Daily increased its audience by a massive 305 per cent year-on-year, lifting it from 46th place to be just behind the 20th-placed CNN digital network, which benefited hugely from the US election campaign in October.

Google Analytics, which also monitors digital visits, put TND‘s audience even higher for the month, measuring it at 1,409,000.

(Nielsen measures digital audiences through a combination of people-based panels and site tags. Google measures with site tags only.)

“It’s an astounding result for The New Daily after just three years when compared to news brands that have been around for decades,” said TND publisher Paul Hamra.

“People clearly want a new and unique Australian take on the news and The New Daily delivers that.”

The site’s October audience of 1,107,000 was its highest ever, outstripping its previous best of 1,081,000 in August this year. In October last year, Nielsen estimated the site’s monthly audience at 273,000, largely because at that point it did not measure its mobile traffic, the preferred platform of TND visitors and subscribers.

Nielsen began measuring the site’s mobile users earlier this year and that, coupled with significant site improvements and first-rate coverage of major news events, swelled the audience, Mr Hamra said.

No.1 place on the Nielsen table in October went to news.com.au, while ABC News claimed second place. Nine.com.au and Fairfax Media’s smh.com.au finished third and fourth respectively. The top five was rounded out by British import The Daily Mail.

The New Daily launched in November 2013, backed by the Industry Super Funds movement. Its extraordinary growth in traffic this year coincides with a change in its ownership structure.

Owned by five industry super funds at launch, TND is now supported by 29 funds through their investment vehicle, Industry Super Holdings. ISH assumed full ownership of The New Daily by acquiring all the shares held by the five foundation shareholders in June this year.