Australian Newspaper Readership, 12 months to December 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 - December 2020

Weekend Newspaper Readership increases from a year ago during the year of the COVID-19 lockdowns as Australians seek out trusted sources

Australia’s best read weekend newspaper is the Sunday Herald Sun with an average issue print readership of 690,000, up an impressive 21.5 per cent on a year ago as Melburnians endured two extended lockdowns for a total period of over six months.

In second place by a hair's breadth is northern stablemate Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph with an average issue print readership of 689,000 , an increase of 11.5 per cent on a year ago. In fact, of the top ten weekend newspapers all but one increased their print readership over the last year as Australians sought out trusted news sources.

In third place is another News Corp stablemate the national broadsheet The Weekend Australian read by 646,000, up 19.9 per cent on a year ago ahead of the Saturday Herald Sun read by 618,000, up 12 per cent. Queensland's most widely read weekend newspaper is next in fifth position with The Sunday Mail read by 533,000, up 6 per cent on a year ago.

Other widely read major titles to increase their print readership over the last year include the Saturday SMH with a readership of 479,000, up 6.9 per cent on a year ago, the Sun-Herald with a readership of 435,000, up an impressive 18.9 per cent on a year ago, rival the Saturday Telegraph with a readership of 414,000, up 9.8 per cent on 2019 and Melbourne's Sunday Age with a readership of 394,000, up 4.5 per cent on a year ago.

Top Weekend Newspapers – Ranked by Print Readership*

*Print readership is average issue readership.

The Newcastle Herald, Townsville Bulletin, Canberra Times, Geelong Advertiser and The (Launceston) Examiner increased their print readership during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

Clearly the best performing regional newspaper over the past year has been the Newcastle Herald which increased its weekday print readership by 20.9 per cent to 52,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is clearly Australia's most widely read regional newspaper.

The Newcastle Herald was one of five of Australia's seven leading regional newspapers to increase their weekday print readership over the last year as Australians were locked down and stuck at home for weeks on end.

Also performing well was the Townsville Bulletin which increased its readership by a third to 48,000 and the Canberra Times which was up 15.8 per cent to a readership of 44,000 equal to The Mercury in Hobart also with a readership of 44,000, but down 6.4 per cent on a year ago.

Also increasing their readership from a year ago were the Geelong Advertiser, up by over a quarter, 27.6 per cent, to a readership of 37,000 and The Examiner in Launceston which increased readership by 2.9 per cent to 35,000.

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

*Print readership is average issue readership.