A sunday newspaper subscription can be as valuable as a subscription for the other six days of the week according to a report published at Poynter.
But the shift goes deeper than an uptick in circulation numbers. With limited resources, newspaper organizations are investing more in the most profitable edition of the week, tacitly letting the daily audience numbers and ad revenues continue to slide.
This report by Rick Edwards makes for fascinating reading for anyone interested in newspapers and newspaper distribution. It includes this quote from John Murray, circulation expert from the Newspaper Association of America.
“Yes, a Sunday (subscription) is likely worth as much as the other 6 days combined and that realization is driving pricing and cross-platform subscription packaging decisions at newspapers as we speak.”
While the US newspaper distribution model is different to Australia, changes which have occurred there will come here is publishers see that they can be profitable. Newsagents play (and will play) an important part in the profitability of the Australian newspaper distribution model.
I linked to the Poynter piece because of the recent moves by APN which included reducing one of their newspapers from six days a week to one – on the weekend.