South Africa’s print media industry is in a precarious position, with growing numbers of titles turning to an online-only publication model to try and recover from declining readership numbers according to the latest stats from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) – and if it weren’t for so-called hybrid publications and community newspapers, the situation would be even more dire.
That’s the major takeaway from media monitoring company Novus Group’s latest State of Print Media report, which compared quarter 2 of 2022 vs quarter 1 of 2022 from the ABC.The comparison showed declines in circulation of up to 20% for some publications. Some titles, like Vrye Weekblad, closed their doors for good, while others – like long-running soccer magazine Kick-Off – moved to an online-only model.
“While it is still too early to say print is dead, poor readership figures suggest a worrying downward curve. Right now, hybrid and community newspapers are keeping the print industry alive,” says Novus Group director Joe Hamman.
There was some good news amidst the gloom. KwaZulu-Natal’s oldest daily, The Witness, turned 175, while City Press celebrated its 30th birthday. Many publications have also found traction online to revive flagging audience interest.
The top selling daily publication in South Africa remains The Daily Sun, with average sales exceeding 32 600, albeit with a 7.2% drop in circulation. It is followed by Isolezwe, at just under 30 200. However, readership figures have taken a battering, with Die Son declining by 8.86% drop, The Sowetan’s readership falling 7.59%, and The Witness (5.49%), Business Day (5.39%) and Die Burger (4.91%) all continuing the decline.
Weeklies are also under pressure, with the Mail & Guardian’s circulation dropping by 7.41%. Soccer Laduma remains the highest circulated weekly, at 74 755, but this is still 2.78% down on the first quarter of 2022. Readership also decreased for weekend newspapers, where The Sunday Times remains the top-selling weekend publication, despite a 3.38% drop in readership.
On the magazine front, Media24’s Huisgenoot is still the country’s top selling lifestyle publication, with a circulation of just under 118 800 – a decline of 6.64% from the first quarter of the year. The top retail consumer magazine was Club Magazine, with a circulation of approximately 263 300. Jet Club Magazine saw the biggest drop in readership in the retail magazine category, with a total loss of 7.44%.
Fortunately, there were positive signs in the hybrid newspaper category, with a positive growth overall. The top community newspaper was Lowvelder/Lowvelder Express with a combined circulation of more than 35 500. Die Pos/The Post saw the biggest growth for the period with a 23.5% increase in readership.
Community newspapers continue to thrive. The biggest growth came from Vryheid Herald, with a 45.5% quarter-on-quarter increase. At the other end of the spectrum, the Northern Review Weekend saw a 22.68% drop in readership.
To view the full report, click here.