World Press Trends: Advertising Rebounds, Circulation Down Slightly

Timothy Balding, Director General, World Association of Newspapers

Newspaper advertising revenues are finally on the upswing as the world economy rebounds, but global newspaper circulation is slightly down, according to the annual survey of World Press Trends published Monday by the World Association of Newspapers.

The survey, which included information on every country where newspapers are published -- 208 in all -- showed that:

  Global newspaper advertising revenue rose 2 percent in 2003 from a year earlier and is forecast to continue a steady increase through 2006.

  Global newspaper circulation declined 0.12 percent in 2003 compared with a year earlier but was up 4.75 percent over the five-year period from 1999 to 2003.

  The number of newspaper websites has doubled since 1999 and the global internet advertising market continues to grow steadily.

  The number of free dailies is growing dramatically -- a 16 percent increase in 2003 from a year earlier and a 24 percent increase over the past five years in countries for which data was available.

"2003 was yet another year of great changes and challenges for newspapers," says Mr Balding. "The pressures on the circulation of newspapers continued, but newspapers showed a greater willingness than ever before to innovate and experiment with strategies to win new readers.

"Many newspapers worldwide changed their formats to satisfy reader demand and many others are still studying the opportunities that exist in compact formats," he said. "Many more newspapers converted to full colour, with benefits both for advertising and editorial. There is evidence that newspaper internet operations are capturing new audiences. And the growth in new free commuter dailies is also expanding the reach of the written press to a younger generation."

More from the survey here.