The Daily Mail and The Courier-Mail were the star performers in Roy Morgan’s total news readership report, having grown their readership by 18 per cent and 12 per cent year on year, respectively.
The Daily Mail and The Courier-Mail saw readership skyrocket in the period from October 2023 to September 2024. The overall sector saw 2.7 per cent growth, with 97 per cent of Aussies aged above 14 engaging in news content.
With nine in ten news consumers accessing up to five different news brands each month and half (51 per cent) exploring four or more content categories each month, advertisers can practically target any audience they wish via total news publishing.
Put into perspective, more Aussies read the news every week than the number who drink coffee or milk or watch YouTube, showing how entrenched news is in Australians’ lives.
News readers are also highly purchase-ready audiences for advertisers. The figures show news readers are 1.4 times more likely to be early adopters in categories like sporting equipment, apparel, appliances, weight management and accommodation, making news publishing advertising ideal for product launches. Aussies shopping for their next premium car trust news publishing environments more than any other major media and are 1.3 times more likely to rely on news publishing to guide their purchase decision.
For travel enthusiasts, news publishing is the most trusted information source, engaging them across travel and other interest categories. This data highlights news publishing as a powerful channel for reaching engaged, purchase-ready consumers.
“This quarter’s readership update confirms that Total News Publishing is a reliable way for advertisers to reach virtually any audience – almost everyone is reading it,” said ThinkNewsBrands CEO, Vanessa Lyons.
“Audiences aren’t just browsing or scrolling; they’re deeply engaged with multiple news brands and categories, giving advertisers direct access to their interests and passions.
“With ROI more critical than ever, news publishing delivers high-value, ready-to-buy audiences, including early adopters crucial for campaign success”.
The Sydney Morning Herald cemented its position as Australia’s most-read cross-platform masthead, with a readership of more than 7 million.
The Age maintained its lead against its main competitor The Sydney Morning Herald nationally, with a cross-platform readership of 4.55 million.
“The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age are the two leading mastheads in Australia because our editors and reporters work tirelessly on stories that directly affect the lives of our audience,” said executive editor Luke McIlveen.
“Last week’s haul of eleven Walkley Awards recognised the commitment we have to expose corruption and neglect, from the union movement to the spread of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in the water supply,” added McIlveen.
The Total News Publishing readership figures are produced by Roy Morgan for ThinkNewsBrands, the industry body for publishing groups.
