Print Circulation Dips While Digital Sales Increase

There’s good news and there’s bad news.

Aussie newspapers have again posted a decline in their readership and circulation data. And while this is bad news for the newspaper industry, the good news is that digital sales of publications are on the rise.

According to Roy Morgan Research, weekly circulation for the newspaper industry decreased 5.7 percent year-on-year. Fairfax Media posted the biggest dip while The Age decreased 14 percent year-on-year for its weekly circulation with 13.2 percent decline for Saturdays.

Herald Sun is also down at 6.4 percent during Saturdays and five percent during the rest of the week.

The good news, though, is that circulation for their digital counterparts increased. The Age’s digital circulation grew 81 percent. Its weekday edition increased 127 percent.

Fairfax Media also showed growth in its titles.

According to The Newspaper Works, the newspaper industry is definitely facing tough times. The economy and structural changes in how publishers conduct their business have also contributed to the decline of newspaper circulation.

According to its chief executive Tony Hale, the study conducted on newspaper circulation partially measured audience and digital efforts that are able to capture audiences using different mediums.

Jack Matthews, meanwhile, said Fairfax Media is looking at opportunities to keep expanding its titles.  He added that the company was right in focusing on the online and mobile expansion of the business to quickly adapt to the technological changes affecting the business.

Matthews also said that Fairfax Media is making sure that print remains sustainable. Matthews is Fairfax Media’s Metro Media business chief executive.