“Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel,” Mark Twain.
“Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets,” Napoleon
These words have gained recent significance with the shooting at Charlie Hebdo in France, if support for freedom of speech was in question, the world’s response to this has shown the power the pen, and the value of the written word.
According to Ads24, in 2015 newspapers will retain their power and influence, but will no longer be just about print; they will transform into total solutions offerings. The divide between print and digital will no longer be distinct and newspapers on all levels, from editorial, to advertising, to newsrooms will become omni-platform. Social media properties will also become increasingly important.
Interestingly newspaper circulation is back to similar levels it was at 20 years ago. The printed properties will not become obsolete, but will become part of a larger offering. However, print circulation continues to rise in countries with a growing middle class and relatively low broadband penetration. There are still people who still prefer print, its tactile aspect, the sense of control at being able to flip to different sections and back again without losing one’s navigational centre and the accomplishment and information that the experience imparts.
The relatively recent introduction of tabloids into the South African market, targeted primarily at a market that prior to this did not read newspapers, but rather listened to the radio or watched television, has had a remarkable impact on the industry. In 2000 74% of newspaper readers read broadsheets compared to 51% who read tabloids, the tables have turned, now 77% read tabloids and 46% read broadsheets. (AMPS 2000 – 2014)
Ads24 titles like Daily Sun, Sunday Sun, Son, and Son op Sondag have been very successful and have tapped into an audience that are now beginning to start experimenting with digital properties, especially via mobi and social media. The Daily Sun was launched in 2002 and now has the highest readership of all newspapers in South Africa and its Facebook page is listed first or second on Social Bakers, it competes only with Soccer Laduma. Daily Sun plans to launch apps in 2015.
The South African adult population reading newspapers had grown by over 50% since 2000 and makes up 46.3% of the total population. According to the All Media Product Survey (AMPS) a total of 17.4 million South African adults read a newspaper in the past week and this excludes local newspaper readers. To contextualise this, it is 1.8million more adults than the number who drink alcohol. It is 2.7 times more adults than the number who own a motor vehicle, and 1.3 times more than who are household subscribers to DSTV. The total number of newspaper readers last year was 4.5 times more than those who shop at Woolworths and 1.8 times more than those who shop at Pick ‘n Pay. The number of South African newspaper readers is three times the size of the population of Denmark or Singapore and half the size of Canada’s population. It is 1.4 times the size of the population of Gauteng, 2.7 times the Eastern Cape population, and 52 times the number of people living in Randburg. (AMPS2014BA, Worldmeters, Census2011)
Even more, 48.2%, of the population read local newspapers. Compass24 conducted by Ask Afrika revealed that 19% of respondents were reading the local newspaper for the first time and 97% would continue reading the local newspaper. The readership of Media24 local titles increased from 5.2 million in 2011 to 6.8 million in 2014.
The growth in newspaper readership has been largely in the Black market, and then in the Coloured market, readership in the Indian and White market is decreasing. In 2000 60% of the total of 11.6 million newspaper readers were Black compared to 74% of the total of 17.4 million newspaper readers in 2014 (this excludes local newspaper readership). The proportion of Coloured readers has remained relatively stable at 11%, and Indian readers have taken a slightly smaller portion of the readership pie, making up 5% in 2000 and 4% on 2014. The percentage of White readers has halved since 2000 where they made up 24% of total readers, compared to 12% in 2014. (AMPS 2000 – 2014)
There is much talk around youth and the habits of young readers, it is sexy and exciting, but the older population should not be discounted. Readership in the over fifties segment has grown since 2000 from making up 17.1% of the total readership in 2000 to 21.8% in 2014. Most of these readers still prefer their newspaper in print. The average age of newspaper readers has gone up from 35.6 in 2000 to 37 years old in 2014. (AMPS 2000-2014)
“Forum24 identified the pillars of a newspaper which maintain readership. Readers say that newspapers are trustworthy, relevant, interesting, informative and newsworthy. They have a lot to offer and are good value for money. Reading a newspaper is a habit for many people, who find newspapers enjoyable and accessible,” says Tania Barzu, head of trade marketing and strategy at Ads24.
In a Forum24 Survey called Project News Choice, English respondents said that newspapers were the second most credible news source after television, News24 came in a close third. Afrikaans respondents found Nuus24 the most credible, followed by television and then newspapers. (Forum24). Twitter breaks the news but newspapers and radio need to contextualise it.
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Thomas Jefferson.
Read more: TRENDS 2015 Ads24 Media Insights -Nov2014
