Roy Morgan’s latest data on news publisher readership shows:
• Total readership of News Publishing has grown to 21.7 million Australians aged 14+ per month.
• News consumers: Diversity of sources: 64% read three or more content categories each month and nine out of ten access up to four different titles.
• Despite cost of living crisisIn the last quarter, less than 1% of newsreaders stopped paying for access.
• Total audience of news publishing valuable: Wealthy Australians are 28% more likely to read the news, and paying news readers are 25% more likely to spend a lot of money.
All data covers the 12 months ending June 2024.
The news readership has grown to almost 22 million Australians.
Roy Morgan’s readership figures show the news now reaches 21.7 million Australians aged 14 and over each month, with each profile group having strong readership. That’s an increase of 1 million on last year.
See also: Total number of news readers by June 2023 – 96% of Australians use the news monthly, 16.6 million weekly
Think of news brands has pointed out that the huge audience numbers show that advertisers can reach virtually any audience they want through Total News Publishing.
Readers want multiple news titles and categories
Roy Morgan’s data shows how deeply and comprehensively Australians engage with news: they have 67 million interactions per week. 91% read up to four titles each month, and while “General News” remains the most read category with 93% of the population, there is also a high readership in other categories. The data also shows that 64% engage with at least three categories in any given month.
Readers who pay for news remain stable
Roy Morgan’s data also shows that despite the cost of living crisis, less than 1% of news readers dropped their subscriptions last quarter. By comparison, 37% of Australians dropped their subscriptions to streaming services and 33% dropped their subscriptions to magazines, apps and other goods and products in the March quarter, according to National Australia Bank data.
Ready-to-buy readership of news publishers
Wealthy Australians (over $1 million in savings and/or investments) are 28% more likely to read the news than the average Australian. It also shows that paying news readers are 24% more likely than the general population to be homeowners, more likely to experiment with new products and services, and 25% more likely to be big spenders. This data shows that news readers are getting a high ROI.
Readers engage with the news
“Roy Morgan’s data once again demonstrates the true reach of Total News Publishing and proves that advertisers can use it to reach any audience they want,” said Vanessa LyonsManaging Director of Think News Brands.
“The audience does not scroll past the news, but accesses multiple news brands and content categories. every month with repeated interactions. Newsreaders are the highly engaged, attentive audience that advertisers seek.
“That we continue to seek out news during a cost of living crisis really demonstrates how important they are to Australians. It also demonstrates the habitual relationship readers have with news and the reliable, regular and highly engaged audience they can offer advertisers.
“At a time when ROI is more important than ever, the data shows that messaging reaches the affluent, ready-to-buy audiences that can drive marketing campaigns to success.”
Source: Total News Publishing as measured by Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s largest consumer survey representing Australians aged 14 and over. All audience data is based on average monthly readership for the 12 months to June 2024, unless otherwise stated. Total News Publishing is defined as Australians aged 14 and over who read news in print and/or digitally. Digital news includes news websites/apps owned by Australian publishers, Apple News and non-Australian owned news. This also includes ABC News and Google News. Total News Publishing’s audience measurement is independently audited by Milton Data.
News publishers’ comment
Nine Publishing: The AFR
The Australian Financial Review is the country’s most read premium business magazine, reaching a readership of 3.5 million people across platforms (according to Total News Publishing readership figures published by Roy Morgan).
The premium business magazine has seen its readership grow for four consecutive quarters in Total News Publishing: In the past four weeks, 985,000 people have read the print edition of the Financial Review.
New editor-in-chief James Chessell said: “These results reflect the high quality and award-winning journalism in The Australian Financial Review. As we focus on growing our subscriber base, our digital strategy continues to go from strength to strength, as evidenced by nearly 80% of our audience engaging with our websites.”
Nine Publishing: Age
The age has once again maintained its lead over its main competitor at national level, reaching 4.63 million readers across all platforms, according to Total News Publishing figures published by Roy Morgan.
The age has cemented its place as the second most read cross-platform news brand in the country, after The Sydney Morning Herald and is 650,000 readers ahead of its main competitor, The Herald Sun.
The print edition from Monday to Friday reached 240,000 readers, the Saturday edition 389,000. In the last four weeks, an average of 990,000 people read a print edition of The age and overall, one in five Australians gets their news from The age.
“The age is undoubtedly Victoria’s leading news brand. In a year in which The age celebrates its 170th anniversary, he has exposed the corruption at the heart of the CFMEU and the union’s improper links with state and federal labor organizations,” said the new editor-in-chief Luke McIlveen.
Nine Publishing: The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald has once again cemented its position as Australia’s most read cross-platform news brand, reaching 7.2 million readers, according to Total News Publishing figures released by Roy Morgan.
One in three Australian readers chose the Herald To stay up to date, the Masthead dominates the cross-platform news brand landscape, nearly doubling The Daily Telegraph readership (7.18 million compared to The Telegraph 3.94 million) according to the latest figures in the 12-month period ending June 2024.
The print edition from Monday to Friday reached an average readership of 381,000, the print edition on Saturday 477,000 readers. In the last four weeks, an average of 1.47 million people have read a print edition of the Heraldwhile The Sun Herald The print edition is read by 395,000 people every Sunday.
“The Sydney Morning Herald “Our dominance over our competitors is a testament to the unique connection between our skilled journalists and our audiences. Our readers trust us to write the truth – sometimes at great personal risk to our journalists and their sources – and we strive to live up to that expectation every day,” said new editor-in-chief Luke McIlveen.
