Newspaper circulation set for Asian rise
Newspaper circulation in Asia will undergo double-digit growth in the next four years while sales decreases in Europe and North America will slow following two decades of decline, the World Association of Newspapers predicts in a new report.
Better reader marketing techniques and demographic shifts will be responsible for the improvement in newspaper sales, WAN says in "The Value-Driven Newspaper," a strategy report produced in the association's "Shaping the Future of the Newspaper" (SFN) project.
The forecast for circulation suggests that global sales will continue to grow but that levels of growth will vary widely among regions.
In Asia, circulation will grow about 13% between 2002 and 2006. Newspapers in the Baltic states will also enjoy growth of more than 11%.
In the European Union and North America, the rate of circulation decline will ease. Circulation in the EU is forecast to decline around 4% from 2002 to 2006, after a drop of 4.5% from 1997 to 2001.
In North America, circulation will fall slightly more than 1% during the period, compared to 1.5% between 1997 and 2002.
The report is part of the SFN project created by WAN to identify, analyse and publicise, as quickly as possible, all important breakthroughs that could benefit the future of newspapers all over the world.
WAN produces a series of six annual SFN reports on new operational and strategic developments in the press.
The report also examines changes taking place in newspaper format and function.
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 71 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 100 countries, 13 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.
