Mobile continues to boom for news brands

• 16.3 million Australians read newspaper media

Smartphones are the fastest growing platform for news media in 2015, with readership on mobiles up 17% year on year to 3.6 million, according to the latest emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) data released today.

Over the past year, 521,000 new readers used their smartphones to access newspaper media. The under 40s demographic drove most of this growth, increasing 14% from 2.2 million to 2.5 million.

While readership of news media on PCs and laptops is still strong, at 9.6 million, readers are shifting their platform preferences to smartphones, in line with the ongoing trend among Australians of accessing news, information and entertainment on the go. Tablet readership was steady at 3 million readers.

While digital readership continues to grow, print continues to deliver more readers than digital. Some 13.8 million readers, or 77% of the population, read print newspapers, compared with 11.5 million reading on digital devices.

Although print readership is down 5% year on year, the combined readership of print and digital newspaper media remained steady at 16.3 million, or 92% of the population.

“The strong growth in smartphone readership demonstrates the continuing relevance of trusted news brands,” The Newspaper Works CEO Mark Hollands said.

“Print newspapers, however, remain a vital source of news, information and entertainment for 77% of the population.”

According to the emma data to October 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald finishes on top as Australia’s highest reaching title across platforms with a total audience of 5 million readers. The Daily Telegraph follows with 4 million and then the Herald Sun on 3.8 million.

Source: The Newspaper Works

Image: Japanexperterna