Global Newspaper Sales Dip For First Time In Five Years
Global newspaper circulation witnessed its first decline in five years during 2002, down slightly by 0.4% on 2001, according to the World Press Trends report just published by the World Association Of Newspapers (WAN).
The survey compiles market information on 70 countries and found that circulations fell in 72% of these countries last year. In the European Union, 11 of the 15 countries saw circulations fall in 2002. In the UK, newspaper sales were essentially flat (-0.1%), whilst advertising revenues fell by 2.4%, as shown.
| European Union 2002 Newspaper Growth | ||
| Year On Year Growth (%) | ||
| Circulation | Advertising | |
| Austria | -1.4 | -6.0 |
| Belgium | -3.4 | 0.3 |
| Denmark | -1.6 | no data |
| Finland | -3.2 | no data |
| France | -3.9 | no data |
| Germany | -2.5 | -12.5 |
| Greece | -6.4 | 0.9 |
| Ireland | 0.5 | -3.8 |
| Italy | 2.8 | -5.5 |
| Luxembourg | -1.7 | -0.6 |
| Netherlands | -1.5 | -11.7 |
| Spain | 0.0 | -4.0 |
| Sweden | -0.4 | -7.2 |
| UK | -0.1 | -2.4 |
| Source: WAN, June 2003 | ||
| European Union Newspaper Growth, 1998-2002 | ||
| Year On Year Growth (%) | ||
| Circulation | Advertising | |
| Austria | -9.9 | 17.0 |
| Belgium | -6.9 | 18.3 |
| Denmark | -9.5 | no data |
| Finland | -1.7 | no data |
| France | -5.1 | no data |
| Germany | -7.7 | -15.8 |
| Greece | -6.5 | 22.3 |
| Ireland | 6.1 | 24.5 |
| Italy | 0.1 | 25.7 |
| Luxembourg | -4.8 | 30.5 |
| Netherlands | -4.7 | -13.0 |
| Spain | 0.0 | 15.4 |
| Sweden | -3.5 | -13.9 |
| UK | -8.7 | 25.1 |
| Source: WAN, June 2003 | ||
Internet and free papers show growth Despite the broader decline of the newspaper publishing sector in 2002, internet consumption and advertising levels exceeded expectations.
There has been a rapid growth in the number of internet editions for newspapers, although this began to flatten out in 2002 at around 79% of print editions producing an online counterpart.
The market for free newspapers has also boomed over the last few years, as illustrated by the success of Associated Newspapers’ Metro in London. Circulation for free papers rose by 8.0% year on year in 2002, although advertising did dip by 1.0%. However, ad revenues were up by a substantial 55% between 1998 and 2002.