Total newspaper readership held steady in 2008: NADbank study

Those of us in publishing, print and online, should feel quite relieved with what passes for good news these days: Total newspaper readership for all of 2008 was essentially steady. The NADbank study shows that more than three-quarters of Canadians, 77%, read a printed or online version of a daily newspaper in a typical week, according to a report in Marketing magazine.

The 2008 readership study found that 13.7 million Canadians 18+ read
a print edition of a daily paper each week, although online readership
is gaining momentum.

Internet readership has grown 13% since 2007, with 19% of Canadians now reading a daily paper online in a typical week.

The Internet is not supplanting print editions however, with only 4% of Canadians reading newspapers exclusively online.

“We’re seeing changes in readership behaviour because the way news is available to consumers has changed,” said NADbank president Anne Crassweller.

We’re engulfed in media, so people are starting to access different news options at different times throughout the day. We are seeing a move online... but most of those people are also reading the printed product. It’s totally natural that we’re seeing people moving back and forth between the different platforms.”