All About Newspapers

Asia emerges as the world’s
most dynamic media market
India leads in paid-for daily circulation, surpassing China for the first time in 2008

t is no secret that Asia has emerged as the world’s most dynamic media market, where internet, broadband and mobile usage are exploding and the region’s newspapers – the world’s largest – continue to grow alongside digital media. This growth has now been quantified in World Press Trends, Asian Edition, the first regional edition of the annual global World Press Trends survey published by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

RMAI Lifetime Achievement Award for RV Rajan
Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI), the industry body devoted to furthering the cause of rural marketing has decided to confer the first ever RMAI Life Time Achievement Award on R V Rajan, former managing director, WAN-IFRA India Pvt Ltd & currently director on board of WAN-IFRA India and chairman, Anugrah Madison Advertising Pvt Ltd & Immediate Past President of RMAI.

This edition shows that newspaper circulation in Asia, excluding Japan grew +3.44 percent in 2008 over the previous year, despite the global downturn, and has grown +17.52 percent over the past five years. The Asian edition, which includes reports on 25 countries and a wealth of summaries that provide a detailed picture of the newspaper market in the region, excludes Japan to focus exclusively on the developing markets of the region. These figures show:

India and China are the world leaders in the newspaper industry, in terms of size. The two countries account for 45 of the world’s 100 largest newspapers. India has more daily newspapers than any other country and leads in paid-for daily circulation, surpassing China for the first time in 2008.

The number of Asian internet users rose 23.51 percent last year from a year earlier, to more than 704 million. Over five years, internet usage jumped 116 percent. There are more broadband subscribers in Asia than any other region – nearly 158 million. The number of broadband subscribers grew 23.33 percent last year and 145 percent over the past five years.

Asia also leads the world in the number of mobile cellular subscriptions – nearly two billion. The number of subscribers rose by one-quarter in 2008 and by 163 percent from 2004.

Paid-for newspaper circulation rose in eight countries in which figures were available last year: Afghanistan (+11.11 percent), Bangladesh (+7.14 percent), Burma (+13.51 percent), Cambodia (+9.09 percent), India (8.26 percent), Indonesia (6.86 percent), Nepal (+2.94 percent) and Thailand (+0.68 percent). Circulation fell in eight countries and territories: Brunei (-8.89 percent), Hong Kong (-2.44 percent), Korea (-1.04 percent), Malaysia (-4.92 percent), Singapore (-1.48 percent), Sri Lanka (-2 percent), Taiwan (-5 percent) and Vietnam (-0.71 percent). While it remained stable in North Korea, Laos, Macau, Maldives, Philippines and East Timor.

Over five years, paid-for circulation rose in fifteen countries and territories: Afghanistan (+50 percent), Bangladesh (+36.36 percent), Brunei (+64 percent), Cambodia (+20 percent), Indian (+45.5 percent), Indonesia (+12 percent), Laos (+8.7 percent), Macau (+5.6 percent), Malaysia (+71.74 percent), Maldives (+75 percent), Nepal (+27.27 percent), Singapore (+18.69 percent), Thailand (+7.3 percent), East Timor (+50 percent) and Vietnam (+1.45 percent).

Circulation over five years fell in six countries and territories: Burma (-10.64 percent), Hong Kong (-10.31 percent), Korea (-3.28 percent), Philippines (-0.79 percent), Sri Lanka (-2 percent) and Taiwan (-15.56 percent); while it was stable in North Korea.

(The report is available at a ‘Special Offer’ to Indian publishers and suppliers at EUR 50 / INR 3500 for the printed copy. The normal price is EUR 229 for non-members and EUR 199 for members. For more details and ordering information, contact at: magdoom.mohaned@wan-ifra.org or thomas.jacob@wan-ifra.org)