A survey conducted by Impact PR agency took at a look at the digital newspaper consumption of New Zealanders. Their research has shown that 2/3 of the population has read a newspaper on their smartphone or tablet, using an app in the last year.
The most interesting aspect of the report is that digital newspaper usage is not limited to youth. The older generation is certainly reading their fair share with 3/4 of those surveyed aged 35 to 44 had read one online, and 61% of those aged over 65 had also done so as well.
2015 is poised to be a big growth year for NZ publishers and one in five Kiwis expects to read newspapers online or via an app in the next 12 months, according to the survey.
“What is heartening to see from this survey, is that Kiwis still have an appetite for news and want to be informed on what is happening around them. Clearly the emergence of online newspapers is something that Kiwis have taken to quickly and I think this growth is likely to continue as the convenience of digital media becomes even more ubiquitous through smart devices,” says Impact PR director Fleur Revell.
Many readers in New Zealand are using their local newspapers official apps for Android and iOS to read. This is the same core base of users that actually subscribe to the physical paper and use digital as an avenue to read while commuting to work or during downtime, after all the phone is always in your pocket.
There is a strong segment of users that are forgoing the standard app altogether and reading the replica edition via Pressreader. Unlike the app editions, the replica has the local classifieds, funny pages and local advertising.
While newspapers have enjoyed a robust user base, digital magazines are languishing. Consumers appear to prefer their magazines printed, with just 25% of people saying they have downloaded or read an electronic magazine in the last year.
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.