Australian Newspaper Readership, 12 months to June 2020

The readership estimates below are ‘average issue readership’ (AIR) over a 12 month period, and represent the number, or %, of Australians who read or look into an average issue of the particular publication.

This provides an estimate of the ‘reach’ an advertiser can expect to achieve with advertising placed in the publication.

These print readership estimates do not include the additional Australians who read the publications in their digital form online, via web, mobile or app.

The total reach – ‘cross-platform’ reach is greater than the ‘average issue reach’ of a publication as it includes additional readers and cover a 4 week period, rather than an average issue.

Print Newspaper Summary - June 2020

Weekend Newspaper Readership down from a year ago pre COVID-19 pandemic

Australia’s best read weekend newspaper is again Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph with an average issue print readership of 613,000 – but down 14.1 per cent over the past year – ahead of The Weekend Australian which has a print readership of 563,000, down 5.1 per cent on a year ago, and the newspaper to suffer the smallest fall of any of the top weekend newspapers.

Southern stablemate the Herald Sun fills the next two spots with the Sunday Herald Sun read by 559,000, down 8.5 per cent, and the Saturday Herald Sun the fourth most widely read with a readership of 546,000, down 7 per cent.

Other major titles to decline included the Saturday Sydney Morning Herald down 8.2 per cent to a readership of 462,000, The Sunday Mail in Queensland down 17.4 per cent to 462,000 and Melbourne’s Saturday Age down 8.5 per cent to 428,000 readers.

Top Weekend Newspapers – Ranked by Print Readership*

*Print readership is average issue readership.

The Canberra Times and Townsville Bulletin increase their print readership in a time of COVID-19

Clearly the best performing regional newspaper over the past year has been the leading paper in our nation's capital The Canberra Times which increased its weekday print readership by 30.8 per cent to 51,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now Australia's most widely read regional newspaper.

Also performing well was the Townsville Bulletin which increased its readership by 4.9 per cent to 43,000 and is now Australia's fourth most widely read regional newspaper.

The second most widely read regional newspaper is its southern counterpart The Hobart Mercury with a readership of 47,000 (down 6 per cent) just ahead of the Newcastle Herald also on 46,000 (down 17.9 per cent).

Two regional Queensland papers fill out the top six positions with the Gold Coast Bulletin in fifth position with a readership of 39,000 (down 29.1 per cent) and Cairns Post in sixth position with a readership of 36,000 (down 16.1 per cent).

Top Monday – Friday Regional Newspapers – Ranked by Print Readership*

*Print readership is average issue readership.