Independent newspaper The Saturday Paper has belied doubters about its longevity, recording strong readership and sales growth since its launch almost 12 months ago.
The brainchild of publisher Morry Schwartz and editor Erik Jensen The Saturday Paper has established a readership of 99,000 in New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory alone, not including their presence in Queensland and South Australia. (Roy Morgan, December 2014)
In its surveyed regions, The Saturday Paper has a readership 24 per cent bigger than the Weekend Australian Financial Review.
Within its first year, The Saturday Paper had established a readership, holding a 60 per cent subscription renewal rate. Sales are currently averaging 60,000 copies per week nationally. In 2015, The Saturday Paper will be expanding its reach and planning a launch in Tasmania.
The Saturday Paper’s AB demographic is 46 per cent (Roy Morgan, December 2014). Research conducted by MediaCom revealed that 55 per cent of The Saturday Paper’s audience holds a postgraduate degree. The Saturday Paper’s audience is highly engaged, with 54 per cent of the readers spending more than one hour every week reading the print edition. (MediaCom Survey October 2014)
“It’s been extraordinary to watch The Saturday Paper grow,” said editor Erik Jensen. “We have found the audience we knew was there, an audience of readers longing for seriousness and sophistication.”
The Saturday Paper has provided quality and industry-recognised content. In 2014, The Saturday Paper was nominated for two Walkley Awards: Erik Jensen for ‘all media headline journalism’ and Luke Williams for ‘feature writing short’.
