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National Newspapers - UK - February 2018

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Print declines were 8% in 2017
Figure 1: Trend in total UK annual print circulation, 2012-22
Key players
The Times is the only title to increase its print circulation
Sunday circulation falls by 11%
The Independent and The Sun grow online reach significantly
Trinity Mirror moves forward with attempts to take over Daily Express
The consumer
More than one in four are registered to an online newspaper
Figure 2: National newspaper online behaviour, November 2017
Facebook’s News Feed change to impact discovery
Figure 3: Methods of discovering national newspaper articles, November 2017
People want more feel-good stories
Figure 4: Attitudes towards national newspapers, November 2017
One in 10 trust every national newspaper they read
Figure 5: Trust in national newspapers, November 2017
Only one in four want broadsheets to become smaller
Figure 6: Print newspaper preferences, November 2017
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Facebook’s News Feed change highlights the importance of diversifying platforms
The facts
The implications
Fake news and divisive politics offer boost for quality newspapers
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Print declines were 8% in 2017
The Times and The Telegraph raise print prices by 20p
Facebook changes News Feed after further fake news controversy
Virgin Trains tries to stop selling the Daily Mail
UK government introduces response unit to tackle fake news
IPSO creates new logo
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Print volumes down 8% in 2017
Figure 7: Trend in total UK annual print circulation, 2012-22
Figure 8: Trend in total UK annual print circulation, 2012-22
Forecast methodology
MARKET DRIVERS
The Times and The Telegraph raise print prices by 20p
Figure 9: Basic UK cover prices for national newspapers, January 2017 and December 2017
Facebook changes News Feed after growing controversy
Organisations look to tackle the issue of fake news
UK government introduces response unit
IPSO creates new logo
Brands under pressure regarding tabloids
UK publishers receive donations from Google’s innovation fund
KEY PLAYERS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Quality newspapers are the best performing print segment
Sunday circulation falls by 11%
The Independent and The Sun grow online reach significantly
Trinity Mirror moves forward with attempts to take over Daily Express
The Telegraph concentrates on registered users
The Guardian goes tabloid
Publishers band together to launch new advertising marketplace
MARKET SHARE
Quality newspapers are the best performing print segment
Figure 10: Daily national newspapers’ average print circulation per issue, 2016 and 2017
Sunday circulation falls by 11%
Figure 11: Sunday national newspapers’ average print circulation per issue, 2016 and 2017
The Independent and The Sun grow online reach significantly
Figure 12: Average daily unique visits to national newspaper websites, 2015-17
Financial Times read more than ever before
The Guardian boosts digital revenue
The Times grows subscription numbers by 10%
Trinity Mirror moves forward with attempts to take over Daily Express
The Guardian and Mail lead the way on social media
Figure 13: Social media presence of select major UK newspapers, 2016-18
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
The Telegraph concentrates on registered users
The Guardian goes tabloid
Publishers band together to launch new advertising marketplace
MailOnline includes new video player in sidebar
The Telegraph and Amazon partner to create Echo show
iWeekend re-launched by Johnston Press
The Guardian continues to invest in VR
The Times launches new subscription legal service
Daily Mail expands role with TV launch in US
BRAND RESEARCH
Brand map
Figure 14: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, November 2017
Key brand metrics
Figure 15: Key metrics for selected brands, November 2017
Brand attitudes: The i is considered the most innovative brand
Figure 16: Attitudes, by brand, November 2017
Brand personality: The Sun is viewed as more unethical than other newspapers
Figure 17: Brand personality – Macro image, November 2017
The Telegraph and The Times are considered the most authoritative
Figure 18: Brand personality – Micro image, November 2017
Brand analysis
The Guardian is the most trusted newspaper
Figure 19: User profile of The Guardian, November 2017
i stands above other quality newspapers in terms of value and entertainment
Figure 20: User profile of i, November 2017
The Times is thought to offer the most consistent quality
Figure 21: User profile of The Times, November 2017
Perceptions of The Telegraph are not as positive as for other quality newspapers
Figure 22: User profile of The Telegraph, November 2017
Daily Mail inspires similar levels of trust to quality newspapers
Figure 23: User profile of Daily Mail, November 2017
Daily Express fails to stand out
Figure 24: User profile of Daily Express, November 2017
Daily Mirror has similar, but weaker, image to The Sun
Figure 25: User profile of Daily Mirror, November 2017
The Sun inspires strong associations
Figure 26: User profile of The Sun, November 2017
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Six in 10 read a daily print newspaper
Over half of people read national news on a smartphone
More than one in four are registered to an online newspaper
Directly visiting websites/apps is still the main way people find articles
People want more feel-good stories
One in four search out particular journalists
Only one in 10 trust every national newspaper they read
One in three prefer reading print for major events
PRINT NATIONAL NEWSPAPER READERSHIP 
One in four read the Daily Mail in print
Figure 27: Daily print national newspaper readership, November 2017
One in three read only one print newspaper
Figure 28: Repertoire of daily national print newspapers read, November 2017
Less than half read a Sunday print newspaper
Figure 29: Sunday print national newspaper readership, November 2017
ONLINE NATIONAL NEWS WEBSITES AND DEVICES 
Over half of people read national news on a smartphone
Figure 30: Devices used to read national news, November 2017
Smart-speakers offer new platform for news as audio grows in importance
The BBC remains most popular online news source
Figure 31: National news websites/apps visited, November 2017
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ONLINE BEHAVIOUR 
More than one in four are registered to an online newspaper
Figure 32: National newspaper online behaviour, November 2017
One in five will voluntarily donate money
There is an audience willing to pay for VR journalism
Tailored editions take social media use to next level
METHODS OF DISCOVERING ARTICLES 
Facebook’s News Feed change to impact discovery
Figure 33: Methods of discovering national newspaper articles, November 2017
Publishers have mixed experiences with aggregators
Publishers are in a stronger position to negotiate with aggregators
ATTITUDES TOWARDS NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS 
People want more feel-good stories
Figure 34: Attitudes towards national newspapers, November 2017
One in four search out particular journalists
Many are looking for more diverse political views from newspapers
TRUST IN NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS 
Only one in 10 trust every national newspaper they read
Campaigns run to boost trust in national newspapers
Figure 35: Trust in national newspapers, November 2017
PRINT NEWSPAPER PREFERENCES 
One in three prefer reading print for major events
Success of news magazines could indicate the future of print newspapers
Figure 36: Print newspaper preferences, November 2017
Only one in four want broadsheets to become smaller
16-34-year-olds are more open to using QR codes
Figure 37: Print newspaper preferences, by age, November 2017
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Market forecast
Figure 38: Total UK annual print circulation, 2017-22
Forecast methodology

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