The New Zealand Herald Readership Rise Continues

Friday 7 October 2016

The New Zealand Herald Readership Rise Continues

7 October 2016 –The New Zealand Herald print readership is on the rise and digital audiences have hit record levels.

The Herald newspaper’s average issue readership is up 13,000 to 426,000 readers, 3.1% up from last year and a 3.6% increase from the previous survey, according to Nielsen data released yesterday.* The Herald remains New Zealand’s most read newspaper. With the exception of Tuesday, which remains unchanged, each day has seen year-on-year increases in readers, reflecting higher engagement with the newspaper in addition to strong population growth in the Auckland region.#

nzherald.co.nz has seen a 25% audience lift year on year.^ August was a record month for the site, reaching a unique audience of more than 1.9 million.^ August also saw record numbers for nzherald.co.nz sport, reaching a unique audience of more than 1.2 million off the back of Olympics coverage.

NZME managing editor Shayne Currie says the increased readership across the newspaper-inserted magazines alongside the growth of nzherald.co.nz and the Herald print editions, showed the power of quality journalism and relevant, engaging and entertaining content.

“We are really happy with these results. Having readership increases across the board shows the Herald’s variety of content is resonating with New Zealanders. Whether they are picking up the Herald for their fashion fix in Viva, holiday tips in Travel or for their morning news and analysis, we know our team is consistently delivering quality journalism.”

Readership increases include Wednesday, which is up 28,000 to 458,000 readers, and Friday, which has seen a 24,000 increase in readership to 411,000 readers.*

Daily Brand Audience of the Herald, encompassing both print and online readers, is up 37,000 readers to an audience of 840,000. Weekly Brand Audience also saw a rise of 28,000 to 1,370,000.*

Since the previous survey, Viva, The Business and Bite have seen 3.3%, 2.2% and .9% increases, respectively.* Year-on-year growth for Canvas (1.4%), Travel (2.2%) and Bite (3.8%) has also been achieved.#

The Weekend Herald has continued to increase its readership, up 3,000 readers from the previous period and up 22,000 (5%) from a year ago. Its audience now sits at 445,000.*#

The Herald on Sunday has retained its place as best-read Sunday newspaper in New Zealand, read by 308,000 New Zealanders each week.*

In regional results, Hawkes Bay Today remains unchanged at 48,000 readers and the Rotorua Daily Post is up 1,000 to 19,000.*

At a group level, NZME has seen audience growth of 15% year on year, with the wider NZME News readership growing by 27%.^

NZME Chief Commercial Officer Laura Maxwell says the continued growth is a testament to the quality of the Herald’s content. “To have an increase in readership across the week is a strong result for the Herald and I’m delighted. Together with our regional print and online titles, NZME offers advertisers a compelling and flexible package of opportunities to connect with audiences in both local regions and on a national scale.”

Sources:
Nielsen CMI Q3 15 to Q2 16. AP15+
*Previous Survey: Q2 15 to Q1 16. AP15+
#Previous Year: Q3 14 to Q2 15. AP15+
^Nielsen Online Ratings, domestic traffic, January – August 2015 v January – August 2016
fSource: Nielsen Online Ratings, domestic traffic, August 2016

ENDS

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