"Print newspapers still have a wider reach than online newspapers."

Print newspapers saw a sharp decline in circulation over the past year, but still have a wider reach than mobile networks, according to the World Association of Newspapers and News Agencies (WAN-IFRA).

“Newspaper circulation is like the sun, rising in the East and falling in the West,” said Christoph Riess, CEO of WAN-IFRA, at the annual World Press Forum conference on October 13 in Vienna, Austria. Key points from the WAN-IFRA investigative report include:

- Print newspapers continued to see increased circulation in Asia, but decreased in established markets such as the West.

- The number of global newspaper titles remains stable.

- The biggest reduction in numbers was seen in free-to-read daily newspapers.

For advertisers, print newspapers are more effective and cost-efficient than other forms of media.

- Newspapers have a wider reach than the internet. On a typical day, newspapers have 20% more readers than the internet globally.

- Revenue from online advertising is not enough to compensate for the lost advertising revenue from print newspapers.

- Social media has changed the concept of modern communication, but the business models that media companies rely on social media have yet to find a way to increase revenue.

- Today's news is published instantly.

Riess's presentation focused on six key areas: shifts in media consumption patterns among readers, economic changes, newspaper circulation and titles, advertising costs, newspaper sales, and the internet versus mobile phones.

The WAN-IFRA report, published annually since 1988, includes data from over 200 countries. The 2011 report focused on 69 countries that account for 90% of global newspaper circulation and advertising revenue. “We focus on value rather than quantity, on key indicators in key markets,” Riess said.

Readers access media in different ways, depending on the region. For example, in the US, television is absolutely dominant. In Austria, the internet accounts for a third of the time readers spend on media, while in Russia it is negligible.

Time spent reading print newspapers is limited, especially in developed countries. Readers dedicate only 8% of their time to print media. However, print newspapers attract 20% of total global advertising revenue.

Other noteworthy facts include the rise of the internet and the decline of radio. Media users have reduced their radio listening time by 23% compared to 2006.

Daily print newspaper circulation declined from 528 million copies in 2009 to 519 million in 2010, a drop of about 2%, as readers shifted to digital platforms. However, in terms of reach, print newspapers still reach 2.3 billion readers daily, 20% more than the internet's 1.9 billion globally.

Circulation also varies by region. In Asia-Pacific, print circulation increased 7% in 2010 compared to 2009 and 16% compared to five years prior. Print circulation in Latin America also increased, 2% compared to 2009 and 4.5% compared to five years prior. But circulation decreased in Europe, by 2.5% and 11.8% in Western Europe and 12% and 10% in Eastern and Central Europe, respectively. The worst declines were seen in North America, where sales fell by 11% last year and 17% over the past five years.

Of those, free newspapers saw the biggest decline in 2010, with total circulation falling to 24 million copies from 34 million in 2008. “The free newspaper boom is over,” Riess commented. “In many cities, too many new titles were launched. There were even newspaper wars. Now the market has matured, and as the number of titles decreases, new opportunities open up.”

Within each country, Iceland has the highest print newspaper reading rate, where 96% of the population reads a daily newspaper, followed by Japan (92%), Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (82%), and Finland and Hong Kong (80%). Japan leads the world in circulation, with an average circulation of 461,000 copies per newspaper, a dream figure for most print newspapers worldwide. Austria, in second place, lags far behind with an average of only 162,000 copies.

In terms of advertising revenue, television continued to dominate, with $180 billion spent on this medium in 2010. Print media came in second with $97 billion, followed by the internet ($62 billion), magazines ($43 billion), and radio ($32 billion). However, print media lagged far behind television and the internet in terms of growth rate. Internet advertising revenue increased by 22% in 2010 compared to 2009 in Asia, compared to 11% for television and only 3% for print. In Europe, the rates were 14%, 9%, and -1%, respectively. In South America, the figures were 31%, 19%, and 6%, while in North America they were 13%, 8%, and -9%.

According to Vietnam+