NRS Releases First Set Of Time Spent Reading Data

The NRS has released the first set of Time Spent Reading data, revealing that a weekday (Monday-Friday) issue of a daily newspaper is read for an average of 40 minutes.

The average Saturday newspaper is read for an average of 60 minutes, with 42% of readers spending an hour or more.

The data also shows that the average Sunday newspaper is read for an average of 70 minutes, with 50% spending an hour or more.

Of the 250 or so magazines measured by the NRS, each title is read on average for a total of 50 minutes, whilst 61% of readers of the average magazine spend 30 minutes or more reading it, with 34% spending an hour or more.

These figures – which now become a standard element of NRS data releases – highlight the fact that British adults spend significant amounts of time engaged with individual print brands, says the NRS.

News International’s The Times was read on average for one hour 19 minutes, whilst readers of the Sun spent an average of 36 minutes perusing the newspaper.

On average the Sunday Times was read for one hour 42 minutes, whilst fellow News International title and the News of the World was read for 45 minutes.

The Observer was read on average for one hour 29 minutes, the Sunday Telegraph was read for an average of one hour 25 minutes and the Mail on Sunday was read for one hour six minutes.

Time Spent Reading was added to the NRS interview in January this year and this first release covers the six months to June 2007.

Roger Pratt, managing director of NRS Ltd, said: “The introduction of the Time Spent Reading element to the survey reveals just how robust the print medium is. This first data set, which will become a regular part of future releases, demonstrates that consumers are committing substantial time to print media despite increasingly busy lifestyles and the proliferation of media channels.”

Source: NRS

NRS: 020 7242 8111 www.nrs.co.uk