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A Closer Look at the Print / Online Audience
Update on the Print / Online Newspaper Audience
Information seeking consumers, including newspaper readers, regularly use both print and online in their search for news and information. A June release from The Media Audit states that people who are considered heavy print newspaper readers spend about as much time online as the typical U.S. adult. People who spend at least one hour per day reading a newspaper also spend 3.7 hours per day online. As reported by Media Post and NAA's OPU blog, the research also revealed that the average U.S. adult has almost doubled their daily use of the Internet between 2006 to 2008 - from 2.1 hours per day online to 3.8 hours per day online. The Web now represents about one-third of a typical "media day" for U.S. adults.
This willingness to cross platforms on any given day also works to extend the effective print / online reach of newspapers. According to The Media Audit report seven daily newspapers have achieved a net unduplicated reach of 80% or more when the past 30-day website visitor figure is combined with the past month print readership figure. The list includes:
- New Orleans Times Picayune with a total unduplicated reach of 85.8%
- San Antonio Express-News (80.6%)
- Post-Standard in Syracuse (84%)
- Buffalo News (83.3%)
- Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester (80.9%)
- Peoria Journal Star (80.4%)
- Omaha World Herald (82.2%)
Audience data collected by a different firm, Scarborough Research, shows similar results. An NAA analysis of the Scarborough data provides a clear definition of the print / online audience. On a national scale we can determine in an average week 74.3% of U.S. adults have either read a copy of a printed newspaper or visited a newspaper website. That is 171 million adults. Print exclusives represent 55.6% of total adults, newspaper website adds 3.6% more reach and those using both print and online in the past 7 days are 15.1% of all US adults. This math demonstrates the importance role the online component plays in extending newspaper reach. The print only reach is then 70.7% of US adults and the online component extends the reach to 74.3% nationwide.
In terms of understanding current reader behavior it is meaningful to look at the composition of the newspaper readership market. Of the 171 million adults who read a printed newspaper or visited a newspaper website during an average week, three out of four (75%) read the printed newspaper only. One in five (20%) read a newspaper and visited a newspaper website during the week. One in twenty (5%) visited a newspaper website but did not read a copy of a newspaper in print. The chart below illustrates the composition of the audience in terms of their readership using print and online.
The chart speaks to the fact that few newspaper readers have abandoned the printed newspaper in favor of the online version. Consumers still find the print version essential and only 5% of newspaper readers have chosen to be web exclusive.
We do not know how many of these web exclusives are former print readers. And we do not know how many are consumers who would not have read a printed newspaper under any circumstances. The other question the data does not answer is how many days in a week the 20% of newspaper readers that use both print and online have found the web version to be an acceptable substitute. In theory, that 20% may only now be reading the print one day a week and were previously more frequent print readers / purchasers.
The two "take aways" from this exercise in looking at the numbers is that a significant share, at least one in four, of a newspaper's readers are using both media and there is a need to cross promote. The second is the potential remains for newspapers to build combined reach and total audience through content enhancements and promotion of their web products to non print readers. Regardless of a newspaper's position on the question of paid online content, the upside potential of increasing web usage should outweigh concern of converting print readers to online exclusives.
Source: The Media Audit, Media Post, Scarborough Research, NAA
Published
Jul 02 2009, 09:29 AM
by
jmurray
About jmurray
John Murray came to NAA in 1997 after 18 years of newspaper marketing experience. Most of that time was in circulation management positions. But he attributes much of his career success to also having spent time in newspaper promotion, research, strategic planning, community relations, and advertising which provided a broader context to his newspaper marketing expertise.
Prior to NAA John worked at Fort Wayne Newspapers, the business agency for The News Sentinel and Journal Gazette, where he was circulation director for both papers for seven years. After graduation from Louisiana State University he was recruited by Sears for retail management assignments. He began his newspaper career at the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and was a participant in Knight Ridder’s Circulation Management Development Program.
At NAA John is responsible for Audience Development initatives, and serves as resource to newspaper executives charged with marketing the newspaper to readers, and audience metrics issues. John’s is the staff liaison for the NAA/ ABC Committees and serves as a resource to our advertisers regarding newspaper circulation and readership.
Recent publications produced by the circulation marketing department include: Understanding the Value of Newspapers - The Relationship Between Price Paid and Readership, NAA’s 2009Circulation Facts, Figures and Logic and Independant Contractor Relationships.
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