The managing-out of free and unprofitable subscriptions to give Fairfax Media a cleaner and more profitable paid circulation base appears to have done little to differentiate its paid print circulation losses compared to News Corp.
But as print shrinks a totally different tune is being played out within total masthead sales where print and digital subscriptions are being combined.
Latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures revealed across the board Fairfax titles are now losing sales at a consistent rate of 10.51% on last year, even as the company continues to distance itself from the print model.
News Corp papers have almost mirrored the decline, down 9%, again demonstrating the fundamental structural challenge faced by publishers.
While debate rages over the veracity of the Emma figures released this week, which showed astonishing levels of pass-on readership for some titles, the ABC figures – published since the 1930s - have often been referred to as the “gold standard” of actual consumer engagement with titles.
With just a few exceptions the ABC figures showed most titles are now losing sales a consistent rate, no matter the publisher or the region.
Just a single masthead, The Courier Mail in Brisbane, managed to report a year-on-year circulation decline below 3%, reporting paid sales were down 2.37% to 168,986.
The Australian Financial Review Saturday edition was the only other title to have a circulation decline of less than 5%, down 3.78% to 62,042.
Even as Fairfax reported a return to profit yesterday, its two foundation mastheads have been hit with first and third highest circulation losses led by The Age.
The Victorian paper reported weekday year on year sales down 20.25%, losing 28,761 sales since June of last year to 113,289.
In NSW The Sydney Morning Herald Monday to Friday suffered the third biggest drop of any paper, down 13.99% to 121,876. In the ACT The Canberra Times was down 15.74% M-F and 13.66% on Saturday.
News Corp papers hit with big declines included The Northern Territory News, down 10.33% M-F. Its major metros, The Daily Telegraph, lost 9.65% M-F, 8.67% Sat and The Sunday Telegraph lost 9.84%.
In Melbourne the declines were similar with the Herald Sun M-F down 9.54%.
Analysts said it was impossible not to look at the newspaper figures with anything but a grim concern for the expected acceleration of the decline.
“Fairfax banged on about its select reduction in circulation, but News Corp is not doing the same thing yet is suffering the same amount of decline,” one industry analyst said.
“What's so disturbing is, in the next couple of years, that number is going to step up from 10 to 12, to 13, to 14%.”
Another said building the pace of advertising investment in digital as the print model was shrinking was the key to the challenge.
"The transfer of advertising investment is just not fat enough right now," he said.
Digital adding new twist to total masthead sales
However the shifting sands of measurement for newspapers takes on a different light with the addition of paid digital and print-digital subscription packages to the mix.
Fairfax's commitment to the paid digital model resulted in total weekday masthead sales lifting 29.68% for The SMH since June last year to 213,054, while The Age rose 19.86% to 201,858 in the same period.
Conversely for News Corp, The Australian rose 3.34% to 169,929.
The Herald Sun dropped 5.96% in weekday total masthead sales (420,041) and 6.53% on Saturdays.
On Sundays The Sunday Age has outperformed the Sunday Herald Sun, lifting total masthead sales 11.8% while its rival was down 7.56% - albeit with total sales of 473,512.
NIMs down overall
Newspaper inserted magazines (NIMs) are also down across the board according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, with losses totalling 8.8% YOY.
Of nationally published NIMs the Australian Magazine published by News Corp is down 8.89% YOY, with AFR Magazine published by Fairfax down 5.97%. Fairing slightly better is New Corp's Wish Magazine which is down 4.82% YOY.
NIM's published in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania are only published by News Corp and across these states circulation has fallen 7.48% YOY.
The biggest fall went to Sunday Life magazine published by Fairfax with the title falling 10.67% in New South Wales. The title saw a similar fall in Victoria, dropping 10.36% YOY.
Click the images to see the numbers for yourself.
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