The report – State of Australian Newspapers 2011 – shows advertising revenue growth from digital newspapers in Australia was up by 236 per cent from 2006 to 2010, and has outstripped ad revenue growth on the internet, which was up by 100 per cent during the same period.
Australian newspapers are also forecasted to generate $317m in digital ad revenue in 2012, an 11 per cent jump on this year’s figures.
A statement from The Newspaper Works outlines, “Now delivered across print, online, tablets and smart phones, newspapers in this country continue to set the daily news agenda more than any other medium, unlike their counterparts in the US and UK, where cable TV and the BBC respectively command the news every day.”
The report also found that newspapers in Australia continue to outperform those in the US and UK. Newspaper revenue in Australia grew by 5.6 per cent in 2010, compared with 1 per cent growth in the UK while in the US it fell by 10 per cent.
Australians spent approximately $1.3bn buying newspapers in 2010, almost as much as Australians spent on magazines and recorded music combined.
The latest report follows circulation figures released earlier this month by The Newspaper Works, which showed printed newspaper circulations in Australia fell in the June 2011 quarter, as the retail climate continued to deteriorate and consumer spending contracted sharply.
Monday to Saturday sales of national, metropolitan and regional printed newspapers fell 4.2 per cent in the three months to June 30, 2011 compared to the corresponding period in 2010.
Tony Hale, CEO of The Newspaper Works says the worst retail environment in Australia in 50 years had pushed sales of printed newspapers down, with print results further pressured by the ongoing transition in the industry as mastheads expand across multiple delivery platforms beyond print.
He says, “When examining newspaper circulations it is important to remember the figures only include paid-for sales of the printed product, while smart-phone and tablet newspaper apps, which boost the real circulation of newspapers, are yet to be counted in the audit.
“With the positive shifts newspapers are making onto non-printed platforms thanks to the investment publishers are making in technology and content, newspaper brands remain strong as they change to meet consumer needs.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter
