But the growth on digital platforms is not being followed by consequent growth in advertising revenues. Though news sites enjoy high readership, the level of engagement is low, according to an analysis of the annual World Press Trends data, unveiled at a joint session of the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and the World Advertising Forum.
Some of the highlights:
- More than half the world’s adult population read a daily newspaper: 2.5 billion in print, more than 600 million in digital form.
- The newspaper industry generates more than US$200 billion of revenue annually.
- Newspaper circulation declined only -0.9 per cent globally in 2012 from a year earlier, as rising circulations in Asia offset circulation losses elsewhere. Circulation declined -2.2 per cent globally between 2008 and 2012, with the steepest declines in Europe.