Print bites back: Roy Morgan figures show magazines still pulling massive audiences
Michele Levine: 'Magazines remain an excellent medium to reach valuable audiences of all ages'.
Print isn't dead, and the latest Roy Morgan readership figures make that hard to ignore.
Magazine brands now reach more than 14.4 million Australians across print and online, according to Roy Morgan’s latest Australian Readership report.
The report found 62.1% of Australians aged 14 and over read magazines in print or online via web or app in the 12 months to March 2026.
Nearly three-quarters of that cross-platform audience, almost 10.8 million people, read print magazines. The findings are based on Roy Morgan’s Single Source survey of 59,706 Australians aged 14 and over.
Better Homes and Gardens leads cross-platform audience
Eight Australian magazines recorded total cross-platform audiences of more than one million people.
Are Media’s Better Homes and Gardens and Woman’s Day led the market, both reaching more than two million people across print and digital.
The Australian Women’s Weekly and New Idea followed, each reaching more than 1.6 million people, while Take 5 weekly reached 1.5 million.
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Other titles with large cross-platform audiences included TV Week, National Geographic, and Take 5 Bumper Monthly, each above 1.2 million.
Food and entertainment leads print categories
Food and Entertainment was the most widely read print magazine category, reaching 6.3 million Australians, or 27.1% of the population.
Home and Garden followed with 3.97 million readers, just ahead of General Interest magazines at 3.95 million.
Other major categories included Mass Women’s magazines at 2.36 million, Business, Financial and Airline magazines at 1.44 million, Health and Family at 1.23 million and Motoring at 1.09 million.
Print still pulls major audiences
Coles Magazine and Fresh Ideas remained the most widely read free magazines, with print readerships of 4.44 million and 4.08 million respectively.
Bunnings Magazine followed with 1.74 million readers, ahead of NRMA’s Open Road with 1.22 million.
Among paid magazines, Better Homes and Gardens remained the most widely read with 1.62 million print readers, followed by The Australian Women’s Weekly with 1.2 million and National Geographic with 1.02 million.
Roy Morgan CEO on magazine reach
Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, said magazine brands continue to reach valuable audiences across print and digital.
“The latest Roy Morgan readership survey shows over 14.4 million Australians (62.1% of Australians aged 14+) now read magazines whether in print or online and print readership is almost half the population at 10.8 million (46.5% of all Australians),” Levine said.
“There are standout results for several magazines, with eight magazines reaching over 1 million people via their cross-platform audiences. Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day, The Australian Women’s Weekly and New Idea are standouts, each with cross-platform audiences over 1.5 million.”
Levine said magazines remain an effective medium for reaching audiences with discretionary spending power.
Michele Levine: “Magazines remain an excellent medium to reach valuable audiences of all ages that have more discretionary income to spend than the average Australian.”
