New survey method shows newspaper readers up 15%

Newspapers enjoyed a readership boost to the tune of three million people for the year, according to a new method of surveying newspaper readership.

The Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (Emma) system is sponsored by most of the major newspaper publishers, and delivers figures in contrast to industry standard Roy Morgan Research.

Emma joins newspaper print reader figures with those on computers, tablet, and smartphone. It provides figures for individual sections of newspapers.

The newspaper publishers – News, Fairfax, Seven West and APN – say Emma provides a more accurate result, and will use the figures against Roy Morgan figures when pitching to media buyers for the $12.5bn Australian newspaper advertising spend.

The Emma results provide sharp contrast to Roy Morgan, for instance Sydney’s Daily Telegraph has 759,000 daily readers according to Roy Morgan, but Emma says it is 36.3 per cent higher at 1,173,000 readers.

With Emma only one newspaper out of 40, the Weekend Australian, showed lower figures than Roy Morgan.

Emma uses an online survey method as opposed top Roy Morgan which is face to face, with a similar number, 54,000, people surveyed. Not surprisingly Roy Morgan execs were scathing in their assessment of Emma.

The owners of Emma point to the fact that it is done by an independent company, Ipsos MediaCT. They were contracted three years ago to produce Emma by industry body The Newspaper Works.

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