ABCs: Double digit declines for newspapers
mUmbrella
14 February 2014
Most of Australia’s major metro mastheads have once again posted double digits declines in the
last round of print circulation figures.
According to figures released today by the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Fairfax Media’s The Age
posted the largest metro year-on-year circulation fall recording a 17 per cent decline on
weekdays with the newspaper falling from 157,480 copies to 130,767.
Sister Fairfax newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald also posted a 16.60 per cent decline with
its print circulation numbers hitting 131,737 in the last quarter of 2013.
Amongst the News Corp Australia stable many of its newspapers also posted double digit
declines with tabloids The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun posting weekday declines of 12 per
cent and 12.3 per cent respectively. The Telegraph had a weekday circulation of 293,512 last
quarter while its Victorian counterpart had 394,597.
Other News Corp weekday newspapers papers posted smaller declines of 10 per cent for the
Courier Mail, 9.4 per cent for the Adelaide Advertiser, and 8.5 per cent for Tasmania’s Mercury.
Both major newspapers have today sought to put a positive spin on the continuing declines.
Fairfax Media noted how it had removed unprofitable circulation and was seeing an improvement
in revenue and yield per copy for their metro mastheads.
“We continue to lead industry change by focusing on profitable circulation, further reducing
unprofitable bulk channels and in turn, increasing both our circulation revenue and yield per
copy for our metropolitan mastheads,” said Allen Williams, managing director of Fairfax Media’s
Australian Publishing Media in an statement. “As a result, our print circulation is more profitable
than ever, and that, combined with our fiercely independent journalism and content, ensure that
the print editions of our mastheads continue to contribute to the growth and engagement of our
audience.”
While News Corp chose to focus on the mass audience reached by its newspapers nationally.
“Overall, News Corp Australia sells almost 10 million newspapers a week – affirming our position
as the country’s number one media company,” said Julian Clarke, CEO of News Corp Australia.
“Our daily metropolitan titles such as The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The
Advertiser, lead their respective states in paid sales. This demonstrates the deep connections our
titles have developed with their audiences.”
Seven West
W
Media’ss West Austrralian posted
d the smalle
est decline among
a
Austrralia’s major
newspaper publishe
er of just 5.5
5 per cent in
n its weekda
ay circulation
n.
Among the weekend newspape
ers both Fairrfax and New
ws Corp saw
w continuing significant falls
f
in
the circu
ulations for once lucrativve masthead
ds. In NSW,, The Sydneyy Morning H
Herald (Sat) and its
counterpart the Sun
n Herald possted 16.3 pe
er cent falls 15.6 per cen
nt respective
ely. While itss rival
The Daily Telegraph
h (Sat) fell 10.6
1
per cen
nt and the Su
unday Teleg
graph fell 12
2.4 per cent.
In Victo
oria, it was a similar storry with The Age
A (Sat) fa
alling 14 per cent and itss Sunday sisster
publicattion falling 14.10
1
per cent. While the Herald Sun (Sat) postted an 11.10
0 per cent fa
all and
Sunday Herald Sun 11.90 per cent.
c
News Corp’s
C
other newspaperss such as Qu
ueensland fa
aired
margina
ally better with
w the like Courier
C
Mail posting 9.8
8 per cent an
nd 9.1 declin
nes in its we
eekend
newspapers.
Among the nationall newspaperrs The Austrralian’s week
kday circulattion fell 8.3 per cent and
d 9.2
per centt on weeken
nds. The New
ws Corp bro
oadsheet hass a weekdayy circulation of 112,269 while
the wee
ekend edition
n has 242,158.
Business newspape
er The Austra
alian Financial Review fe
ell only 6.4 per cent on weekdays to
t
62,455 and
a 9.2 per cent on weekends to 71,733.
7
Weekd
day metro titles,
t
from
m largest pe
ercentage fall:
f
Weeke
end metro titles,
t
from
m largest pe
ercentage fall:
f
Nationa
al newspap
pers, highe
est circulattion to low
west:
Nic Chrristensen