First Quarter 2016
Over the last three years, NAA has executed a number of “quick and easy” snapshot surveys in an effort to track the trends in single copy sales and the operational changes that continue to evolve. A number of factors affected weekday and Sunday single copy sales during that time. First, there were dramatic increases in the retail prices for newspapers. At the same time, there was a focus on reducing promotional and distribution costs.
Newspapers also made great strides in that period in increasing the usage and popularity of digital offerings and mobile apps, particularly for breaking news and updated information.
Coupon usage and the popularity of the Sunday insert package remains strong, though the value proposition is challenged by more modest insert packages and competition from digital sources for shopping information. The newspaper’s digital channels are increasingly used for providing late sports results and, in some cases, newspaper deadlines have been advanced due to more remote printing sites and shared distribution operations.
This latest installment of the survey was intended to capture the level of sales after the holidays and provide early benchmarking data for audience/circulation executives. The findings also provide insight into how the second quarter may begin, compared to the same period in 2015.
Read the full Single Copy Snapshot.
Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
