Newspaper readership holds steady year-on-year despite some major titles' readership dipping, the latest figures from emma (enhanced media metrics Australia) show.
Total readership for combined cross-platform newspaper media readership is up 1.1% year-on-year to 16.4 million readers over a four-week period, the latest emma data for the 12 months to December 2014 shows.
The Sydney Morning Herald's audience dropped this month to 5.1 million print and digital readers, from 5.2 million the previous month. Despite the dip in audience the title is still the most read in Australia.
The SMH is followed by News Corp publication's The Daily Telegraph with a cross-platform audience of 4.34 million, the Herald Sun with 4.2 million, and the Courier-Mail which is read by 3.3 million. Coming in fifth is Fairfax-owned The Age with a readership of 3.27 million.
According to the industry body for newspapers, The Newspaper Works, printed newspapers continue to have a higher penetration than digital platforms for newspaper publishers. Printed newspapers reach 92% of the population, or 14.4 million people, every month, compared with total digital readership penetration of 63% (11.2 million people).
The 40 to 54 age demographic is the largest consumer group of printed newspapers, accounting for 26% of readers. Unsurprisingly, digital readership skews younger, with the age 25 to 39s comprising 29% of readers, while the age 40 to 54s are the second-largest group, at 27% of readers.
When it comes to magazines Women's Day remains on top, with the title reaching a total audience of 3.6 million. The title is followed closely by New Idea, with a readership across print and digital of 3.5 million. Because of its stellar web audience of 2.1 million, Taste.com.au comes in third, with the web-first magazine leading the way in both web and mobile audience.
It's a big week for readership and circulation, with The Audited Bureau of Circulations (ABC) releasing its latest figures for the six months to December 14 tomorrow.
See the emma numbers below for yourself:
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