The report covers the period January to end March 2011 (Quarter 1). The survey publishes data for more than 300 newspapers, newspaper supplements and magazines, which together represent the large majority of the UK press advertising market.
NRS provides authoritative, industry accepted audience research for use in the planning, buying and selling of the major print media. It is a continuous survey based on interviews with a representative sample of 36,000 adults in the UK every year.
Some of the main findings are listed below.
Looking at 12 month data:
Newspapers
The reign of the London Evening Standard…..
• London Evening Standard experienced a rise of 16% year-on-year, compared to a rise of 19% in the 6 month data period
Magazines
The Economist stands out…..
• The Economist - readership is up 11% year-on-year perhaps indicating that the UK’s desire for analysis of global events continues.
• TV Choice has a significant +12% increase in Average Issue Readership year-on-year and its Readers Per Copy (calculated by dividing readership by circulation) is increasing.
Digital newspaper and magazine reading
For the very first time topline data on digital newspaper and magazine reading is now available to subscriber. In January 2011 NRS added generic questions, making it possible to track over time the percentage of the population accessing newspaper and magazine content in this way. With publishers of newspapers and magazines increasingly making content available digitally the NRS, through its fusion project with UKOM/Nielsen and the addition of these first questions on the current survey, has begun a process of measuring these changes in reading.
Though digital reading of newspapers and magazines is still small relative to the enormous numbers reading print, it is expected to grow substantially. Results from Q1 data provide interesting reading.
The topline results are:
• 5% of the population (Great Britain age 15+) have used a tablet computer
• 3% have used an electronic book reader
• Of those who have used a tablet computer or an electronic book reader:
• 36% have read a newspaper in this way in the past 12 months
• 21% have read a magazine
• 5% of the population have viewed content from newspapers via a phone app in the past 12 months
• 3% have viewed content from a magazine
