Three Quarters Of Aussies Still Read Magazines, While SMH Named Top Masthead: Roy Morgan

In a ‘digital first’ view of the media landscape, Roy Morgan has released its latest crossplatform audience results for Australian newspapers and magazines for the period January – March 2020.

In the March quarter of this year an estimated 19.3 million (92 per cent) Australians read or accessed newspapers or newspaper content in some way – print editions, online via website, app or news platforms including (metropolitan, local and regional titles) in an average four weeks.

This includes an estimated 16.4 million (78 per cent) reading or accessing metropolitan titles. Some 15.6 million (74 per cent ) Australians read or accessed a magazine or magazine content.

The enhanced 4 week cross-platform audience data measured both newspaper and magazine masthead reach across print and digital content by masthead for each publisher.

Sydney Morning Herald is Australia’s top masthead – read by 8.1 million Australians

This data shows the standout performers for newspapers are the Nine Entertainment owned Sydney Morning Herald with a cross-platform audience of 8.1 million and its Melbourne stablemate The Age with a cross-platform audience of 5.4 million Australians in an average 4 week period in the March quarter.

News Corp’s Daily Telegraph is in third place with a cross-platform audience of 4.7 million in front of its Melbourne counterpart the Herald Sun which now has a cross-platform audience of 4.3 million Australians. National broadsheet, The Australian, with a cross-platform audience of 4 million fills out the top 5.

Bauer Media’s ‘Now to Love’ online magazine hub is read by over 2.7 million Australians

Bauer Media owned ‘Now to Love’ website attracted an audience of 2.7 million Australians in an average 4 week period. Many of Bauer Media’s magazine brands (including Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, Good Health, TV Week and Take 5) have consolidated their online presence in the ‘Now to Love’ hub which is adding incremental reach to already strong print based publications Women’s Day, estimated to reach more than 1.7 million readers in an average 4 week period, and stablemate Women’s Weekly with an estimated 4 week print reach of 1.1 million readers.

There are several other magazines with large cross-platform audiences including Taste.com.au magazine with a total audience of just over 3 million, New Idea with almost 2.5 million and Better Home & Gardens with 2.2 million readers in an average 4 weeks in the March quarter.

Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan says the new 4 week cross-platform audience data shows newspapers and magazines are reaching new audiences that aren’t attached to traditional media channels: “Roy Morgan’s new ‘digital first’ view of the media landscape has highlighted the extraordinary reach of newspaper and magazine mastheads among the Australian population.

“This large reach is powered by digital audiences connecting via the website, apps, and news platforms and is even more extraordinary when one considers that the entire population of Sydney makes up only 20 per cent of the national total.”

4 Week Newspaper Cross-Platform Audience (January to March 2020)

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine notes that the breadth of coverage offered by News Corp titles around Australia is unmatched: “News Corp is an Australian success story and this is apparent when considering the broad reach of its leading mastheads in the March quarter. News Corp has five mastheads with 4 week crossplatform audiences in an average four weeks of over 1 million.

“These include the Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier-Mail, Adelaide Advertiser and the national broadsheet The Australian which during the March quarter was read by nearly 4 million in an average four weeks.

“Also impressive is the wide reach of News Corp’s leading platform news.com.au which Roy Morgan estimates reached 11.6 million Australians aged 14+ during the month of March alone. The audience at news.com.au increased substantially in March as Australians turned to wellknown news outlets to keep track of a fast-moving situation impacting everyone.”

Coles Magazine & Fresh most widely read and Bunnings Magazine read by almost 1.2m

Australia’s two most widely read free magazines are again Coles Magazine with an average issue print readership in the year to March 2020 of 4,489,000 and Fresh with a readership of 4,015,000. Bunnings Magazine is the third most widely read free magazine.

It has an average issue print readership in the year to March 2020 of 1,170,000 making the hardware retailer’s magazine, launched a year ago, one of only six with an average issue print readership of more than 1 million Australians.

The five most read categories of magazines by average issue print readership:

• Food & Entertainment (6,495,000 Australians, 31.1 per cent of the population)
• General Interest (4,213,000 Australians, 20.2 per cent of the population)
• Home & Garden (3,459,000 Australians, 16.5 per cent of the population)
• Mass Women’s (3,151,000 Australians, 15.1 per cent of the population)
• Business, Financial & Airline (1,340,000 Australians, 6.4 per cent of the population).

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the digital ‘footprints’ of magazines are growing fast, but there are still many magazines that have a sizeable average issue print readerships: “Australians are increasingly consuming their favourite magazines via digital channels such as Bauer Media’s ‘Now to Love’ online hub which integrates several leading titles under one easy to remember banner and has attracted an average four week audience of over 2.7 million Australians in the March quarter.

“However, it’s worth noting there are several magazines that have sizeable average issue print readerships of over 1 million Australians – and many of the leading titles are growing their print readership,” she said.