Last updated for Sept 2011

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

Ten year trend: key findings

  • Media usage in general, including printed newspapers, has increased over the last ten years. 
  • Despite increasing internet usage, more people read a printed newspaper each week than are using the internet each month.
  • Readership: Reading of printed newspapers has held up well despite fragmentation and migration of readers to digital platforms. 
  • Circulation: Sales of printed newspapers has held up well despite fragmentation and migration of readers to digital platforms.


Recent trends in printed newspaper readership (Sept 2006 - Sept 2011)

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:

  • Printed reading of national weekday newspapers.
  • Printed reading of national weekend newspapers.
  • Printed reading of metro weekday newspapers. 
  • Printed reading of metro Saturday newspapers. 
  • Printed reading of metro Sunday newspapers.
  • Printed reading of major regional newspapers.


Recent trends in newspaper circulation (Sept 2006 - Sept 2011)

Refer to this section of the downloable file for:

  • Printed sales of national weekday newspapers.
  • Printed sales of national weekend newspapers.
  • Printed sales of metro weekday newspapers. 
  • Printed sales of metro Saturday newspapers. 
  • Printed sales of metro Sunday newspapers.Printed sales of major regional newspapers.



Ad spend relative to other media (updated for quater ending June 2011)

  • Newspapers take almost a third of all Australian advertising expenditure, accounting for 30%. Share of 2010 TOTAL ADVERTISING expenditure was $12,318 million (excluding classified directories; including NIMs).
  • Newspapers take a fifth of national advertising. Share of 2010 NATIONAL Ad Spend was $7,116 million.
  • Newspapers take two thirds of Australia’s classified advertising expenditure. Share of FY11 CLASSIFIED ad spend was $1,57million. (Excludes classified directories).
  • Movements in printed newspaper revenues have broadly followed overall market trends over the last 5 years. 
  • Newspaper performance generally follows the market, but was impacted by the harsh retail environment in FY11.


Ad spend: newspapers over time by title (updated for quater ending June 2011)

 

  • Metro and national titles account for half of all advertising in newspapers. Share of FY11 TOTAL NEWSPAPER advertising expenditure was $3,529 million.
  • Metro and national titles account for the majority of all national advertising in newspapers. Share of FY11 NEWSPAPER NATIONAL advertising expenditure was $1,454 million.
  • Regional and suburban titles account for over half of newspaper retail advertising. Share of FY11 NEWSPAPER RETAIL Ad Spend was $1,017 million
  • Metro and National dailies take over half of all newspaper classified advertising. Share of FY11 NEWSPAPER CLASSIFIED Ad Spend was $1,058 million.
  • National advertising in newspapers has continued to grow.
  • Classified and Retail have been impacted by the GFC and subsequently a harsh retail environment.
  • All types of newspaper have been impacted by the difficult economic conditions.


Sources:

Roy Morgan Single Source

Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)

CEASA (Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia)

Newspaper Marketplace Report - Last updated September 2011 (3m, PowerPoint (.ppt) format)

Readership and Circulation data for the quarter ending September 2011. Media Usage and Ad Spend information have been updated June 2011.

McCrindle's definition of Australia's Generational Profile (573k, Acrobat (.pdf) format)

An easy-to-read overview of Australia's demographic and generational data.