Canadian print readership high and web readership low

Posted by Caroline Huber on March 26, 2009 at 11:35 AM

Printed newspaper readership in Canada remains high and online readership proves low according to reports by the Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank). Almost 75% of Canadian adults read a print edition of a newspaper each week, while only 20% read an online publication during the week and only 4% read online papers exclusively.

Like in the United States, more people tend to read newspapers in smaller markets, and the highest weekday readership of newspapers is in Cape Breton. The study found that in major cities Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa almost half of the adults read the major weekly newspaper, and in Vancouver the Province readers 47% of adults, while the Vancouver Sun reaches 45%. Unlike many countries, Canada still has a strong readership in the 18-24 and 25-39 age demographic.

Why do Canada's readership results differ so much from other countries' like the US where print readership is waning and online readership is increasing? Are Canadians more attached to their newspapers, or is it only a matter of time?

Yesterday the Associated Press and the Canadian Press announced the launch of the Canadian Press Mobile, which was developed by AP to allow smartphone users to easily view, search, save and share multimedia news. The international mobile sites are accessible from the Web browser, and the Canadian Press news application on AP mobile will lead to AP's mobile platform.

Canadian Press President Eric Morrison said, "With AP having already paved the way, we have been able to leverage their knowledge and technical capabilities to offer Canadians the fastest, widest coverage of national, local and world news stories, pictures and soon video from many respected providers." As technology and online news innovation continue to hit Canada, how will newspapers be affected? Have Canadians already proven their loyalty to the printed paper, or will next year's survey show different results?

Sources: Editor and Publisher, The Media Manager