March 2010 quarter

Figures for newspaper usage, readership, circulation, and advertising spend relative to other media over the last ten years.

Ten year trend: key findings

  • Despite increasing internet usage, in 2009 substantially more people are reading a newspaper each week than are using the internet each month

  • Newspaper reading has been resilient as the media has fragmented over the last ten years 
  • Newspaper sales have been resilient as the media has fragmented over the last ten years


Recent trends in newspaper readership (March 2005 - March 2010)

Note that the progressive introduction of a new readership question means that data from Sept 08 onwards is not comparable to previous periods.

Refer to this section of the downloable file for:

  • Reading of national weekday newspapers
  • Reading of national weekend newspapers

  • Reading of metro weekday newspapers

  • Reading of metro Saturday newspapers

  • Reading of metro Sunday newspapers
  • Reading of major regional newspapers


Recent trends in newspaper circulation (March 2005 - March 2010)

  • Sales of national weekday newspapers have come off recent highs to the level of five years ago
  • Sales of national weekend newspapers are higher than they were two or five years ago

  • Sales of metro weekday newspapers have been resilient despite the economic downturn

  • Sales of metro Saturday newspapers have been resilient despite the economic downturn

  • Sales of metro Sunday newspapers are slightly lower than two years ago
  • Sales of major regional titles have held up well over the last couple of years



Ad spend relative to other media (updated May 2010)

  • Newspapers are the largest advertising medium in Australia. Total Calendar 2009 ad spend was $11,108 million (excluding classified directories; including NIMs).

  • Newspapers take a fifth of national advertising. Total Calendar 2009 NATIONAL Ad Spend was $6,453 million.
  • Newspapers take a majority of Australia’s classified advertising. Total Calendar 2009 CLASSIFIED ad spend was $1,541 million. (Excludes classified directories).
  • Newspaper revenues have tracked the market over the last 5 years. Declines in the last year have been largely driven by economic/GFC factors rather than structural ones.  All main media (other than online) have been impacted. 


Ad spend: newspapers over time by title (updated May 2010)

  • Metro and national titles account for half of all advertising in newspapers. Newspaper Calendar 2009 TOTAL Ad Spend was $3,471 million.

  • Metro and national titles account for the majority of all national advertising in newspapers. Newspaper Calendar 2009 NATIONAL Ad Spend was $1,335 million.
  • Regional and suburban titles account for over half of newspaper retail advertising. Newspaper Calendar 2009 RETAIL Ad Spend was $1,065 million.
  • Metro and National dailies take over half of all newspaper classified advertising. Newspaper Calendar 2009 CLASSIFIED Ad Spend was $1,072 million. 
  • National and Retail newspaper advertising has held up well in the face of the GFC. Classified advertising was hardest hit by the GFC (particularly Employment and Automotive).  Retail experienced a decline in the face of decreased discretionary income, while National declined only slightly.
  • All newspaper categories grew ad revenue up until the economic downturn.


Sources:

Roy Morgan Single Source

Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)

CEASA (Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia)

Newspaper Marketplace Report - Last updated May 2010 (4m, PowerPoint (.ppt) format)

Readership & Circulation figures have been updated with data up to the quarter ending March 2010. Ad Spend data updated May 2010.