Three-quarters (77%) of Australians aged over 14 years read the news each week with 6 in 10 paying to access written content, according to the latest Total News readership data from Roy Morgan.
The figures reveal a total of 20.8 million Australians, or 96% of the total population aged over 14, consume news every month, which is up slightly on last year’s 20.6 million. A further 16.7 million Australians aged 14-55+ years, consume news each week.
The report from ThinkNewsBrands highlights the continuing importance of news media, across all platforms, with 19.8 million Australians consuming news digitally and more than 1 in 2 consuming both printed and digital news in any given month. Reading and watching news are most popular at 55% and 51%, respectively, followed by listening 29%.
Figures show Australian news readers are consistently engaged across multiple sources of news content to satisfy diverse interests, with 3 in 5 news audiences reading 3 or more categories in addition to general, breaking news content. The most popular categories after General News (94%) are Property (67%), Sport (60%), Lifestyle & Health (57%), Entertainment & Culture (51%), and Business & Finance (47%).
More than half – 6 in 10 – are paying to read news and these people are 20% more likely than the general population to be homeowners and big spenders with $158,000 in savings/investments, on average.
Vanessa Lyons, executive general manager of ThinkNewsBrands said, the figures “should instil confidence” in Australian advertisers
“Total News is a lucrative, commercially effective channel for brands,” said Lyons. “While the current Australian economic climate remains uncertain and the impacts of global events are unfolding day by day, these figures show that Total News remains a critical element for success in the advertising and consumer engagement toolkit.”
“Aussies eagerly embrace news content across all forms and topics, to stay informed, up to date and entertained throughout the day. These latest audience figures reaffirm that Total News is a consistently relevant, dependable, and commercially beneficial media component for brands and advertisers”.
See Also: ThinkNewsBrands: Media moments that matter most for better ad impact
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Top Image: Vanessa Lyons