TMZ: The celebrity gossip site that America loves to hate
TMZ has been a website I’ve been reading for many years. It’s often cast aside as a non-legitimate news source and scoffed at by true die-hard newsies. But in my years of working in TV news, I’ve found that it’s often a credible source for entertainment news specifically when we’re talking about celebrity deaths, divorces and other facts that make their way into mainstream news. However, one needs to have a certain level of media literacy to pick apart what is fact and what is gossip on their website.
I’ve always found it a very interesting site especially given that their lead editor continues to support their tactics despite the immense backlash they consistently face. This is why I chose to focus on TMZ for my analysis. I wanted to take a deeper look into America’s favorite love-to-hate tabloid.
Target Audience
TMZ’s target audience is people between 25-34 years old. I assumed they targeted mostly women, but after further research, I saw that their audience is actually 60% men.
Their audience is highly engaged with its content. They recently stopped allowing comments on their website and some stories would get thousands of comments. However, they continue to get engagement on their various social media channels.
Editorial Approach
TMZ’s goal is to report things first and are very aggressive in doing so. It’s no secret that a key conponent to their editoral approach is to pursue tips. On their homepage, there is a tip line which their team uses to map out their news coverage.
They are also known for paying for information. Refinery29 reported that they pay in the thousands for hot videos of popular celebrities. News stations are no stranger to paying for certain content. However, they do not pay to get actual information in the same way TMZ does. TMZ will pay to get the facts. Whereas a news stations will pay for stringer video, or video purchased from a freelance photog that is usually just B-Roll of a scene. They do not pay for actual information.
What makes the publication different from similar entities?
TMZ offers more credibility than other celebrity news websites because they offer proof in a way that tabloids weren’t doing for years. They provide videos, photos and, perhaps most importantly, court documents. In 2016, PBS ran a story about TMZ and this soundbite stood out to me:
Meaning posting Videos, posting pictures, posting court documents, doing stories about celebrity news and celebrity gossip that are sort of unimpeachable.
In the past, a celebrity news report might have come out, and a celebrity might have been able to say, no, that's not true and dismissed it and had publicists sort of stand in the way.
TMZ goes to you with the video and says, this is what we're running in a few hours. Do you have a comment?
Nicholas Schmidle, writer for The New Yorker, who published an investigation into TMZ.
Website Format
TMZ stories vary depending on how big the news is. Sometimes, though it’s rare nowadays, they will post a simple text post with the cover/thumbnail photo. When it’s a bigger story or something they know will generate more clicks, the post will have videos, links to previous stories or social media posts.
The outlet was also one of the first celebrity news website to publish things such as a court documents directly onto their website. This adds another layer that keeps users on their website longer.
TMZ is successful in using social media to get their news to new audiences, especially because so many other outlets link back to them. They also use their app to send out push alerts and are often quoted in other news sources who cover entertainment news. They often have exclusive videos on their website and links to their podcast. They also have a TV show. There are many ways in which their audience can engage with their content.
What can TMZ do better?
Without even touching the ethics behind how they gather news, I wish TMZ followed AP Style or a more formal way of writing. Their web stories are very conversational and their headlines are often insensitive. Take for example their breaking news story on Ray Rice punching his fiance, which was caught on video. The headline is something no hard news website would ever use: RAY RICE ELEVATOR KNOCKOUT Fiancee Takes Crushing Punch (Video).
A more credible headline could simply read: Video shows NFL player Ray Rice punching fiancee.
The website also doesn’t do any enterprise stories. Their formula is simple: Get a tip, investigate, run the story, repeat. Enterprise stories is usually what sets a news organization apart and proves their deep investigative skills.
TMZ’s Business Model
According to Similarweb, TMZ brings in anywhere from $100 million to $200 million in annual revenue. They do this with ads on their website but also through the show they have on TV (and the commercials they play during an episode). Revenue also comes in from the merchandise they sell as well as the tickets they sell for their tours.
Reach
TMZ has a giant reach. According to Similarweb, its category rank is No. 5. I’m actually surprised it’s not ranked higher. Global ranking is No. 961.
Last month alone, TMZ has almost 74 million views — which is down about 12% from December.
For comparison, its competitor, Page Six, only has about 38 million monthly views, according to Similarweb.
Conclusion
Overall, TMZ is truly America’s favorite love-to-hate celebrity website. But despite all the hate that comes toward TMZ, there is a lot to be said about the way they’ve changed how celebrity news functions.