EMMA data suggests print still widely read

Latest EMMA (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) results suggest print newspapers are still widely read on a monthly basis, with 84% of the population aged 14 and over consuming print.

The results from the Ipsos audience measurement system from February 2013 to January 2014 showed that of the 13 newspapers within the total audience report, only three of them had a higher online readership than its print readership on a monthly basis.

Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald was one of those newspapers, seeing 2.827 million in web traffic with its print seeing 2.52 million.

The Canberra Times and The Sunshine Coast Daily were the other two newspapers that saw a higher web traffic result than print.

According to The Newspaper Works commenting on the EMMA data, newspaper media (print and web combined) has increased by 1.2% over the seven months from June 2013.

While print is still being read, the past seven months saw the digital audience jump 9.9% and the print audience decline 4.5%.

“The trend for the industry appears very stable with total audiences up and a greater reader participation on digital platforms,” Mark Hollands, The Newspaper Works CEO, said.

“Compared with other media, newspapers still offer a compelling story for advertisers. Our brands attract 16 million readers every month. Regional newspapers alone are purchased by three million Australians, and community papers have an audience of 4.8 million.”

New data from The Newspaper Works also suggests those who read newspapers spend more on groceries than those who don’t.

“This explains why the major supermarket chains use print media so heavily – because it shifts stock and makes them money,” Hollands said.

“The reader engagement of newspaper media is impressive. For community papers, research shows readers are 77% more likely to visit a store or business as a result of an advertisement than a letterbox flyer.”

Taking a look at some of the EMMA results individually, the latest results for The Daily Telegraph saw a monthly print readership of 3.172 million, whereas online saw 1.167 million.

The Financial Review saw an average monthly print readership of 1.029 million, with its web readership at 243,000.

The Australian’s print saw 2.139 million on average on a monthly basis and 904,000 on a web basis.

Looking towards magazines, Bauer Media’s Women’s Day saw an average monthly print readership of 3.579 million, with its online traffic at 617,000.

In the total audience report for magazines, of the seven magazines listed, none of them a higher average monthly readership online.

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